Someday
by NikkiB1973
Summary: Bella can't leave Jacob but she can't explain why...set in Eclipse AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-set in Eclipse AU.**_

"I am so sorry." Bella hung her head in shame. She hated hurting Jacob. But she couldn't change the inner workings of her heart. Her decision had been made a long time ago.

Jacob's eyes were full of pain, and not just from the injuries inflicted on his body. He gazed at her in despair, unable to voice how much her final rejection had shredded his heart in two. But he hid it. He still wanted to maintain some kind of dignity. His pride was all he had left to hold onto now. "I had to try." He said eventually.

Bella raised her head and met his sorrowful eyes. Emotionally she was at her lowest ebb. She had feelings for Jacob. It could even be considered love. But it didn't match the hold that Edward had on her heart. If he had never existed then she knew that she would be with Jacob now. He was the natural path her human life would have taken. But she wasn't going to be human for long. Even though it was gut wrenching having to turn away from her best friend, she no longer had a choice. "I wish things could have been different." She whispered as she edged closer to the bed again. Jacob held his good hand out toward her and she took it. His heat wasn't as intense as it usually was. His body was battling to heal itself. His devastating injuries would have killed a normal human. It was only his wolf genes which had prevented a tragedy.

"Don't cry, Bells." Jacob said tiredly as he tugged her closer. "C'mere." He was fighting to keep his eyes open. The strong drugs Carlisle had given him to ease the pain were beginning to work.

"Oh, Jake." Bella let out a choked sob and fell on her knees beside his bed. "I should be the one comforting you, not the other way around."

A ghost of a smile crossed Jacob's handsome face before it died. "C'mere." He murmured again. He pulled on Bella's hand. She rose onto her feet and crawled on the small bed beside him. There wasn't much room. Jacob's six feet, seven inch frame took up most of it. She was careful to avoid his bandaged arm which was strapped across his body. His skin was slick with sweat. "Stop crying now." Jacob chided her gently. "I don't want my last memory of you looking so upset."

"I can't help it." Bella tried to stem the flow of her tears for his sake, but it was so hard. She rested her head on his arm and closed her eyes. She was so emotionally beaten down. He was too. Jacob's eyes closed too, and without conscious thought they both drifted off into an uneasy slumber.

* * *

Bella woke up to the sun shining in her eyes. She raised her head, blinking furiously as she tried to get used to the brightness. She was disorientated. A lock of hair fell in front of her eyes and she brushed it away irritably. "You're awake." Jacob's husky voice startled her.

"Jake?" Bella rubbed her eyes and sat upright. "How long have we been asleep?"

"All night by the looks of it." Jacob was lying on his back. His skin was still covered in perspiration, but he was much more alert.

"Oh no." Bella began to panic. Edward would be fraught with worry. Of course he knew where she was, but still. She avoided Jacob's curious gaze as she slid off the bed and stood up on wobbly legs. "How are you?" She asked hurriedly to cover her agitation. "Do you feel a little better?"

Jacob nodded slowly. "Uh huh. You don't look so good though."

"I don't?" Bella was feeling very flustered. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair.

"You should call him if it makes you feel better." Jacob couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice as he realised the source of her nerves.

Bella paused. "I'm worried about you."

"I'll get better eventually." Jacob turned his head away from her so he was facing the wall.

"Jake, I…."

"Please go, Bella. I am barely holding it together here." Jacob finally confessed.

"I'm sorry." Bella bit on her bottom lip as she spilled the useless words. Her apologies were so meaningless. "I love you, Jacob." She whispered as she began to head for the door. But she didn't reach it. Bella stared down at her feet. She tried to move them, but they wouldn't obey her. She lifted one then the other, stepping back. They seemed fine, but when she attempted to leave the room for a second time it was as if she hit an invisible wall.

"Why are you still here?" Jacob had been holding his breath, waiting for the inevitable click as the door shut behind Bella, confirming that she'd left, but when he didn't hear it he turned his head to see what she was doing. He saw her standing near the door with her head down, staring at her feet. "Can you just go, Bella? You're making this so much harder for me." He continued desperately when she didn't immediately respond.

"I can't." Bella tried to move forward again but the same odd sensations happened again. She could only go backwards, toward Jacob. "I can't leave." She said, panicking.

Jacob misunderstood her. Faint hope made his heart race in his chest. He reached out toward her, his fingers shaking as they sought hers. "It's okay, Bells. It's okay."

Bella turned to reluctantly face him when she felt his fingers touch hers. A lump lodged in her throat as she saw the hope in his eyes. He thought she was wavering. She hated herself in that moment. She looked back at him, distraught. "Something's happening."

Jacob tried to sit upright but he was in too much pain. He groaned, his hand dropping back to his side as he lay on his back, frustrated. "Dammit." He cursed.

"Jake." Bella said in alarm as she hurried to his side. She had no problem moving now that it was toward him. She knelt next to him and rested her hand on his cheek. "Stay still. Do you want some water or something?"

"No." Jacob groaned again as his eyelids fluttered closed. He clenched his teeth and sweat broke out on his forehead. "It hurts, Bella."

Bella's panic increased. She scrambled to her feet and tried to head out of the room to get help, but the same thing happened. It was like she hit a brick wall. She could have screamed. Instead she yelled out for help. The door was immediately thrust open and Sam came inside, followed closely by Billy. "Jake needs help." Bella cried desperately as she rushed back to his side.

Sam ignored Bella's pleas and went straight to the small cabinet by Jacob's bed and took some of the strong painkillers that Carlisle had prescribed for Jacob. "You're due a dose." He said directly to Jacob as he continued to ignore Bella as if she wasn't there.

Billy hovered in the background as Sam hunkered down by Jacob and helped him sit up a bit. Bella hurriedly propped loads of pillows behind Jacob's body for him to lean against. Jacob took the glass of water from Sam with his good hand and quickly swallowed the pills. He gulped the water down with the tablets and fell back on the pillows, his face awash with agony. "Fuck." He muttered.

"Jake, are you alright?" Billy wheeled his chair further into the room. Sam stepped aside so he could draw nearer the bed.

"I'll be alright when the pills kick in." Jacob replied through gritted teeth.

Billy's attention was drawn to Bella. Her brown eyes were huge in her pale face. She appeared tired and on the verge of a breakdown. He wondered what she was still doing there now that she was awake. He had popped his head in earlier to find them both fast asleep and had decided to leave them alone. His son needed rest and he didn't want to disturb him unnecessarily. "We've got it from here. You should go, Bella." He said to her, not unkindly.

"I can't." Bella faltered. Her eyes flicked to Jacob. He was gazing at her with that same hope in his eyes. Bella wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. She had told him once that his pain was her pain, and it was never truer than in that moment.

"Jacob needs rest." Sam stated coldly. He was tired of Bella getting in the way of his brother's recovery. She had caused enough trouble already. He just wanted her to leave. "You need to go."

Bella physically shook as she glanced at Jacob's anguished face again while at the same time trying to do as Sam wanted. She hit the invisible brick wall again and stopped. She looked at everyone helplessly. "I can't." She whispered brokenly.

"See she doesn't want to go." Jacob reached out for her hand again. Bella stepped backwards and let him take it.

Billy and Sam exchanged a confused glance before the latter abruptly left the room. Billy studied Jacob and Bella carefully. His brow furrowed as he watched the way his son's eyes were trained on Bella's every move. Something was amiss here. "When you say you can't leave what do you mean by that?"

Bella's mouth opened and then closed when she felt Jacob's fingers wrap around hers. The pull to comfort him was strong. She didn't want to hurt him, he was emotionally too fragile. "It means I don't want to." Bella lied. She looked at Billy desperately as she said the words. She watched understanding dawn on the older man's face.

"See. I told you." Jacob's eyes were closing. The strong painkillers were sending him under. Bella sat beside him and brushed her fingers over his face. He gave her a small smile before his eyelids drooped shut. She and Billy remained silent for a good five minutes before they spoke; wanting to make certain that Jacob was definitely asleep.

"Why can't you leave?" Billy asked again in a low voice.

"I physically can't." Bella whispered back to him. "I get so far then it's like I hit a brick wall. I can't leave Jacob. I can only go to him."

"He's asleep now. I think you'll find the pull has lessened." Billy saw the confusion on Bella's face but he didn't immediately explain. He left the room, indicating for her to follow. Bella walked slowly, expecting to feel the same invisible barrier as before, but she found Billy was right, it had gone. She hurried out of Jacob's bedroom, being careful to shut the door quietly after her.

Billy was waiting in the narrow hallway. Bella swallowed thickly, she felt her guilt return as she looked at his lined face. "How did you know I would be able to leave right then?" She asked tentatively.

"Because he's asleep and doesn't need you so much right now." Billy's explanation was cryptic.

"I don't understand you." Bella was totally confused.

"I don't understand either. I have never heard of it happening like this before. Why now and not before?" Billy sounded like he was talking to himself.

Sam came bowling down the narrow hall and stopped behind Billy. His normally stoic expression was missing. Bella guessed he must have heard their entire conversation. She looked at Jacob's Alpha nervously. Sam had never been her biggest fan. She recalled the night he had rescued her after she had gotten lost in the forest after Edward had broken things off with her. The memory was painful and she winced. "Is it for certain?" He asked Billy.

"Is what for certain?" Bella was getting annoyed by this two way conversation. Was she supposed to guess? "Please tell me what you mean?"

Sam locked eyes with Billy for a long moment. "Tell her what you suspect." He urged the older man.

Billy sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I would rather speak to Jacob first." He hedged.

"Jacob may not even realise himself just yet. He is physically weak as well as emotionally." Sam threw Bella a look of disapproval. She cringed, knowing he was blaming her for Jacob's weakened state. She couldn't blame him. Jacob had been fighting for her sake after all.

"You're in his head." Billy accused. "You would have sensed it, surely."

"Just because I have been through it myself does not make me a so called expert on the phenomenon. " Sam snapped. It was the first time Bella had ever seen him lose his cool. "I am on a learning curve just like everyone else." He finished bitterly.

"I'm sorry." Billy apologised. "You're right; there is only so much the old legends can tell us."

Sam's expression softened. It was clear he didn't like upsetting Billy. "Jacob has been denying his heritage for a while now. You know he has fought it more than the rest of us." His dark eyes were drawn to Bella again and he frowned. "We all know the reasons why." He said pointedly.

To Bella it was like they were speaking a different language, one that she was failing to understand. "Please, just tell me what is going on?" She begged.

Billy sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he did so. "We think that you and Jake…." He hesitated as if trying to find the right words.

Sam took over the explanation. He was more direct. "We think that Jacob has imprinted on you." He stated bluntly. "We think that's why you are having trouble leaving his side while he is in such a weakened state."

Their reasoning was ludicrous. Bella felt almost like laughing. It was impossible. Jacob had described imprinting to her before, and this was nothing like it. Her world hadn't turned on its head. Her universe hadn't shifted. It was exactly the same. She was exactly the same so was Jacob. "It's impossible. I know that it only happens when the wolf looks into his imprints eyes for the first time. Jake has stared into my eyes tons of times and…." She clamped her mouth shut as she realised what had come out of her mouth. It was true. Jacob used to gaze into her eyes a lot. He would sit holding her hand on the rare times that she visited the res. She wondered if he had been trying to make it happen. "You've got it wrong." She said faintly.

"Your feelings may not have changed, Bella." Billy told her wearily. "But something has shifted…."

"This is stupid." Bella interrupted him. "I can prove it. I'm going to walk out of here."

Billy and Sam watched her march off down the narrow hall and disappear around the corner. They both waited expectantly for the front door to open, but it remained quiet. A moment later Bella came back into view. "I can't leave." She sobbed.

"I'll get Emily." Sam mumbled as he left a distraught Bella alone with Billy. She would be better at dealing with this then he would.

Billy rolled his chair forward and took hold of Bella's hand. "Come on, my dear. Let's get a hot drink inside you. Jake will be out for a while yet. It will give you time to calm down."

Bella didn't have much of a choice. Her head was in an emotional tailspin. She couldn't believe this was happening. It was too bizarre, too surreal. She thought of Jacob, lying injured in his bed. She had seen his hopeful smile flit across his face before the strong pills had pulled him under. She thought of Edward, waiting patiently for her call to come and pick her up. Her heart ached for both of them. Once again she was caught between them, but this time through no fault of her own.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thank you for the kind reviews. The messed up imprinting continues….**_

 **Part Two**

Bella lied to Billy by telling him she needed some fresh air. By the knowing look on his lined face she guessed that he knew what she was really going outside for. But right now she didn't care. It wasn't totally a lie. The atmosphere in the Black's was suddenly cloying. Her former sanctuary had turned into a prison. Bella knew she was being melodramatic, but events had superseded her ability to think straight. She needed to hear Edward's soothing voice. Bella crept outside guiltily and pulled her cell out of her coat pocket. She had turned it off when visiting Jacob, she hadn't wanted any interruptions. Bella switched it on, holding the phone up in front of her as she searched for a signal. Nothing! She couldn't believe it, the whole universe seemed to be against her today.

"Dammit."

"Bella." Sam's voice startled her. He seemed to come out of nowhere. Bella spun around to find that he wasn't alone. He had Emily with him. "You should come inside." He said coolly as his eyes flicked to her cell. "It's cold out here."

Bella didn't know whether he was being facetious. By mentioning the frigid outside temperatures she couldn't help but wonder if he was in some way inferring that he knew she had been trying to contact Edward. It was not as if her vampire lover ran warm, not like the wolves. Bella felt her skin heat up as her guilt at being caught swamped her. Emily glanced at Sam, sighing softly, before approaching Bella with open arms. "You've had a shock." She said gently.

"Yes." Bella couldn't think of anything else to say. She welcomed Emily's comforting embrace. It felt good to have another person who understood her predicament. Emily had lived through her own love triangle, and it had been extremely tough on all concerned. The wounds were still raw between the three. It seemed as if Leah was never going to forgive her cousin for imprinting with her former lover. Bella had always seen the issue as black and white, but now, going through it herself, she saw that it was coated in shades of grey. Noting was simple here. Imprinting was more complex than she could ever have imagined. "I'm afraid." She whispered as she hid her face against Emily's shoulder.

"That's understandable." Emily stroked Bella's hair tentatively before pulling back and smiling at her sympathetically. "Come inside like Sam says and we can talk."

Bella swallowed thickly as she allowed Emily to put an arm around her waist and lead her inside the house. When they passed Sam Bella noticed how tense he looked, but underneath she caught a hint of sadness. As soon as he saw that she had caught the rare play of emotions on his face, Sam tensed up further and covered up his lapse with his usual stoical mask. "I'll be in soon." He said directly to Emily as if Bella wasn't even there.

"Okay." Emily reached out and touched Sam's hand before resuming her journey toward the house.

* * *

Billy vacated the room to give Bella and Emily a semblance of privacy. He went to Jacob's room to keep watch over his son for a while. He wanted to be there if Jacob woke up. Emily urged Bella to sit while she put the kettle on and made them both some coffee. "Do you take milk and sugar?" She asked.

"Just milk." Bella smiled weakly. She studied Emily as she moved around the Black's small kitchen. She was very graceful. Bella envied her ability to float around a room without tripping. Bella hated her clumsiness with a passion. She watched as Emily looped a lock of her hair behind her ear. It immediately revealed the scarred half of her face. Without conscious thought she froze momentarily, glancing at Bella, before letting her hair fall forward again to hide the deep scars. Bella felt awful for being caught staring and she hung her head, clasping her hands in her lap.

"It was an accident." Emily's soft voice made Bella raise her head again. "Sam feels the guilt every time he looks at me. I tell him it doesn't matter, but to him it does."

"I'm sorry." Bella whispered.

"There is no need to apologise." Emily passed Bella a mug of coffee and took a seat opposite her.

Bella cupped the warm drink in her hands. The heat reminded her of Jacob, and despite her reservations and fears she found herself relaxing. Emily wasn't angry with her, she wasn't taking cues from Sam, who was still clearly ambivalent about Bella's place among the pack. It felt good not to be judged. This gave Bella confidence to broach the delicate subject of the night Sam had inadvertently injured his imprint. "How did you and Sam get passed what happened?"

Emily took a tentative sip of the hot coffee. She wasn't showing it, but she was nervous. Thinking back on that time was painful, but it also felt cathartic to be able to open up to someone else about how it had affected her. Sam couldn't talk about it. Kim really had no understanding. Her imprint with Jared had been simple compared to hers. Kim's dreams had come true; she had gotten what she had always longed for. No one had been hurt. Emily had distanced herself from her family. She'd had no choice. Having to keep the packs secret meant that she had nothing in common with her siblings. Her parents didn't like Sam; they thought he was distant and cold. They had no idea what a passionate man he was underneath his stoic exterior. She knew they blamed Sam for her injuries too. The story that they had concocted to hide the truth was full of holes.

"Truthfully I don't think Sam and I ever really got past it." Emily said eventually.

Bella flushed, feeling ashamed that she had brought up painful memories. "I shouldn't have asked."

"Yes, you should." Emily put her mug down on the table and leaned forward, gazing empathetically into Bella's worried eyes. "Your imprint is painful like mine was. You have no idea how much I fought it. I love my cousin. Leah was like a sister to me. I took the one thing she coveted most in the world. She adored Sam. She still does. Now she is full of hatred because I was too weak in the end to walk away from Sam."

"You weren't weak." Bella declared passionately. "If it's anything like I'm experiencing now, I can understand why you gave into Sam. I can't even walk away from Jacob right now. It's like I crash into an invisible wall or something."

"I didn't give into Sam." Emily sat back, frowning. "You misunderstand me. My feelings for him were always there underneath. I would just never have acted upon them for Leah's sake. Then the imprint happened. It brought forth to the surface what was lying hidden. I never truly admitted how drawn I was to him even before the wolf was awakened inside him. But I did try to stay away from him afterward, but my actions ended up to the detriment of us both. The night he lost control I tried to verbally banish him from my life. He was as full of guilt and heartache as I. He was in a weakened state emotionally that night. You have to remember he was the first to phase, Bella. There was no one to really guide him properly. The elders had only the old legends to go by. But they weren't in his head. They couldn't even begin to fathom the chaos that was going on inside."

Bella got a new understanding of how overwhelming and scary it had to be for Sam. To have no one to reach out to, he was alone, except for Emily. "I never took the time to even think….." She trailed off, glancing at Emily sadly.

"Well you were going through your own trauma at the time." Emily said pointedly.

Bella flushed again. She could tell by Emily's tone that she thought there was no comparison between what Sam had endured and Bella's former depression. "It was hard for me when Edward left…."

"But he came back." Emily sat forward again, resting her hands on her thighs as she looked into Bella's eyes again, as if searching for something. "I never seemed to get a sense that you blamed him for bringing all this danger upon you."

"He didn't know about Victoria." Bella said defensively.

"That's irrelevant and not what I was referring to. Did you never blame him?" Emily asked again.

"We talked about it. He gave me his reasons and I understood." Bella tore her eyes away from Emily's intense gaze and gulped down some of her coffee, which had begun to turn cold.

"I don't question your love for your vampire, Bella." Emily sighed softly. "You have certainly gone through enough to be with him, but giving up your life, your family, your whole future. Underneath, are you sure that's what you really want."

"I've been through this, with Edward, with his family, even with Jacob. I've made up my mind." Bella's voice cracked on the last word and she took another gulp of her coffee. "When it came down to it, there was no choice. If we want a life together one of us has to change, he can't, so it has to be me."

Emily was silent for a moment as if she was mulling over what to say. Bella was feeling tense again. Something inside told her that Jacob would be stirring soon. "I feel for you, Bella. I really do. My imprint with Sam was tortured enough, but it's going to be nothing compared to what you will go through. All I can say to you is I'm here, but remember, how you choose to handle it will have a big impact on your life. You have to tread carefully with not only yourself but Jacob too. You are connected to him now in a unique way. Before it was only his feelings that you hurt but from now on it will be his soul too."

"I never asked for this." Bella's hands clenched in her lap as despair consumed her. "I made my choice because I wanted to stop hurting Jacob. I wanted him to be able to move on, to find someone who deserved him."

"And you think you don't?" Emily queried.

"That's not what I mean." Bella said in frustration. "Well partly it is. I can't give him or be what he needs."

"He thinks so."

"I don't know what to do, Emily." Bella cried out.

There was no chance for Emily to respond. Billy came back into the room at that point. "Jake's awake. He's asking for you." He said wearily.

Emily put a gentle hand on Bella's shoulder as she began to rise. "Remember, tread carefully." She advised. "If you need me, I'm right here."

Bella felt tears prick at her eyes. She put her hand over Emily's for a few seconds before she reluctantly followed Billy toward Jacob's room.

* * *

As she walked down the narrow hall she was astonished to see Sam emerge from Jacob's room. She saw him exchange a glance with Billy. She sensed something was up. "What's going on?" She asked warily.

"We've told Jacob about the suspected imprint." Sam replied before Billy had a chance to.

Bella felt her stomach churn. She wasn't prepared for this. She wondered if Sam had done it purposefully but one glance at Billy confirmed that it had really been him who had told Jacob the truth. "He's still recovering." She said helplessly.

"He deserved to know." Billy stated firmly. He rubbed a hand over his face. He was feeling tired and out of sorts. Worry over his only son had taken its toll on his health. Bella couldn't be mad at him. "Please don't hurt my son." He begged Bella in a low voice.

The pain in Billy's voice was palpable. She flinched, not knowing what to do or the best way to handle the situation. The older man's plea was impossible to agree to. Of course Jacob was going to be hurt, so was she. Bella had hoped for more time, but now had none. A difficult conversation was going to take place when Jacob was at his lowest ebb. Bella didn't want to be forced to lie to him. Jacob was her best friend, he deserved her honesty, but perhaps he already knew.

"Come, let's give them some privacy." Bella was surprised at the empathy in Sam's voice as he pushed Billy's chair back down the hall. Maybe he understood, more than Jacob's father right now, that things were extremely complicated. Like his imprint with Emily there was no way to avoid the hurt.

Bella waited until Sam and Billy had left the hallway before she dared to enter Jacob's room. She expected to see him lying on his bed like before, his skin coated with a sheen of sweat, and pain in his eyes. What she didn't expect to see was him sitting up instead. He skin had a healthier glow to it. She kept forgetting his ability to heal quickly. When she entered the room he turned his head to look at her. His expression was pained and Bella's heart plummeted. She had guessed right. Jacob knew. She tried to smile, but it faltered.

"I'm sorr…."

"Don't apologise again. Your words are meaningless." Jacob interrupted her. "Nothing has changed, has it? You're not here because you want to be."

"Jake, please." Bella was begging. She walked toward his bed and tripped. She heard him sigh. "Jake…"

"C'mere." Jacob held out his hand toward her. His other arm was still strapped across his body. Bella did as he asked. She climbed on the bed beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. His body was so much warmer now. It chased away the chill on her skin and she snuggled closer to him. "I've loved and fought for you for so long." He continued tiredly. "But I can't fight anymore. I was ready to give up on you, to let you go." He paused for a second. "Is that why it happened? Is it because I was finally prepared to let you walk out of my life?"

"I don't know." Bella pressed her face into his shoulder. He sounded so defeated. Jacob was strong. Nothing ever got him down, but this had. Instead of being elated that the imprint had happened, it only highlighted that things were still the same.

"Now you're bound to me unwillingly by some supernatural imprint." Jacob said bitterly.

"It's not like that." Bella hated hearing the unhappiness in his voice. This wasn't who he was. If anything gave her confirmation that she was no good for him, this was. "It was out of all our control."

Jacob twisted his head to look at Bella. She gazed up at him from under her long eyelashes. "Why do you sound so calm?"

"I'm not calm. I'm shit scared to tell you the truth." Bella confessed.

A ghost of a smile crossed Jacob's face. "I'm scared too."

"Then let's be scared together." Bella rested her head on his shoulder again.

"I'd like that." Jacob felt a glimmer of hope again. She had used the word _together_ , that had to mean something. He rested his cheek on top of her hair. She wasn't running away screaming like he thought. "What are you going to do?" He dared to ask. If she said she was going to try and leave he knew he would break down, but he wouldn't stop her. He wouldn't purposefully keep her tied to him because of the damn imprint. He wasn't Edward Cullen. Jacob held his breath as he waited for her answer.

"I'm going to do what I always do when I'm scared." Bella finally replied.

Jacob raised his head and glanced down at her. He was glad to see that she was smiling slightly, even if it didn't reach her eyes. "You're going to cook."

"Yes." Bella slid off the bed. "You've gone too long without decent food. If we want to get you better then you need to be fed."

" _We?"_ Jacob couldn't help but ask.

Bella's expression became serious and Jacob felt his hope begin to fade again. This was a temporary reprieve; he'd been a fool to think otherwise.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading! Angst, my new favourite word!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

 **Part Three**

Charlie turned up at the Black's just as Bella was serving dinner. As soon as he walked through the door he began to lecture Jacob about his reckless cliff dive. It was the story they had concocted to explain away his injuries. As they all sat down at the table Bella could see that Jacob was getting very tense and pissed off with Charlie's sermon. "Think of your dad. What would have happened to Billy?"

"He knows all this, chief." Billy saw Jacob's jaw flex. His arm was still strapped across his body which meant he would have to eat one handed.

"Does he?" Charlie looked at Jacob sternly.

"Dad, don't." Bella quickly poured her father a beer and passed it to him.

"No, Bella." Charlie ignored her warning. He concentrated all his attention on Jacob, who was sitting opposite him with his head down. Jacob didn't know how much longer he could contain himself if Charlie didn't shut up. The reason he was injured was because he was trying to save his daughter's ass. His lecture was unfair and unjustified. Charlie didn't take the hint. He carried on speaking, winding Jacob up further. "You need to think before you act so stupidly. It's like the kids that we have to scrape off the road when they ride those damn motorcycles. You all think you're invincible. Well you're not. Let this be a lesson to you."

Jacob's frame began to shake. He didn't know how much more he could tolerate. He wanted to yell at Charlie, to force him to see the reality of the situation. How could he be so blind to what was going on right under his nose? He was the chief of police for goodness sake. Jacob gripped his fork as Charlie continued to berate him for his recklessness. Billy and Bella were alarmed to see that he was failing to control his anger. Bella begged her father to stop, Billy joined in, but Charlie was determined to get his message across.

"I'm going to be having a word with those friends of yours too. Mark my words when I'm done with you lot there is no way you'll be so idiotic again."

"Will you just sh…." Jacob's retort was cut off as he felt Bella's hand grip his upper thigh. He choked, whipping his head around to stare at her. He felt her fingers begin to massage his leg, sending his already fraught emotions into chaos. He couldn't think straight. His whole attention was focused on where she was touching him. It was sending all the wrong signals to his fractured brain. She kept it up, all the while talking to Charlie, purposefully taking his attention away from Jacob and redirecting it at herself. Jacob was in torment. A small part of him wanted to throw her hand off his leg, but the bigger part wanted it to move further upward. Jacob bent his fork in half as he endured Bella's soft stroking. Jeez, did she even realise what she was doing. He glanced at her again. No, she obviously didn't realise the sweet torture that she was inflicting on him unconsciously. That was Bella all over, dammit.

"Jake, do you need some painkillers." Billy asked in concern. He could see the sheen of sweat break out on Jacob's skin and attributed it to his injuries. He had no idea it was because of Bella.

"I'm fine." Jacob's voice was higher pitched then normal. He fidgeted when Bella gripped his thigh again.

"You look like you've got ants in your pants." Charlie shook his head. "Did none of my warnings sink in? You are gonna have to learn to grow up, Jacob."

"Dad, he knows." Bella finally let go of Jacob's thigh and placed both hands on the table. "Can we please just eat the rest of our dinner in peace?"

"Fine." Charlie muttered as he gave Jacob another disapproving look.

Jacob stabbed his food with his fork as his irritation returned. He gulped his dinner down, barely chewing the food. Charlie shook his head again at Jacob's appalling manners. This caused him to tense again. Bella noticed and her hand wandered to Jacob's knee this time. She squeezed and patted it, in her mind thinking it was a comforting gesture. To poor Jacob it was the exact opposite. The blood rushed from his head to other areas and he choked on his food. Charlie immediately rose and banged Jacob on the back, which caused Bella to let go of his knee. For that Jacob was truly thankful.

* * *

Bella fussed around Jacob when he returned to his room after the meal was over. She plumped up the pillows behind his head, refilled his water jug, tried to cover him in blankets, until he reminded her that more heat was the last thing he needed, then she started with the touching again. Jacob still hadn't recovered from dinner. As soon as her fingers splayed across his chest as she leaned forward to stroke his brow he'd had enough. "Stop touching me." He growled.

"What?" Bella immediately sat back and placed her hands in her lap. She stared at him in confusion. "Did I hurt you?"

"Yes…no." Jacob was feeling so frustrated. He was finding it hard to explain himself. He and Bella always touched each other. It was an unconscious thing between them. Despite the fact that she was supposed to be so in love with her leech, even upon Cullen's return, she had never stopped acting like she was his girlfriend. Friends did not fawn over each other the way they did. They didn't walk along the beach holding hands. They didn't have their arms around each other, or fall asleep together in the same bed. Jacob was tired of the pretence. Bella may enjoy fooling herself but he didn't. "You don't want to be with me. I'm not your choice. So stop with the hands on thing."

"I didn't….I don't understand. I'm just trying to make you more comfortable." Bella faltered as easy tears welled in her eyes. "There's no need to be so harsh."

"There is." Jacob replied through gritted teeth. She was doing it again. Her hand was resting on his knee. How could she not notice what she was doing? "You keep insisting we're just friends, so stop with the touchy feely stuff and act like my friend."

"What touchy feely stuff?" Bella let her tears fall. She knew he was angry, he had a right to be after enduring Charlie's lecture, but he had no right to speak to her like that after she was trying to care for him. It wasn't her fault that she was forced to stay. She wouldn't still be here getting on his last nerve if not for the imprint. Edward filled her mind and she hung her head, hiding her face behind her long hair.

Jacob hated himself in that moment. He didn't want to hurt Bella, exactly the opposite. He wanted to take her in his arms, tell her how much he loved her, that he was sorry. Then he would kiss her fiercely; show her the passion that the cold leech would never be able to invoke in her. Jacob's imagination ran away from him again. The blood drained from his brain and he groaned, castigating himself for having such a vivid imagination. "Look, I'm just trying to say that we need to take a step back from each other, Bella. Friends don't act like we do."

"They do." Bella insisted as her hand slid from his knee and down his upper thigh as she leaned toward him again.

"Embry and Quil don't hold my hand or hug me like you do when I'm pissed. And they certainly don't run their hand up my leg when I'm upset." Jacob pointed out hoarsely.

Bella froze in her movements. She stared at her traitorous hand. "Oh." She mumbled as her cheeks flushed a dull red. "I don't normally do that." She yanked her hand away as if it had betrayed her.

"Bells you always do that." Jacob was lamenting the loss of her touch already.

"I do not." Bella retorted. "You make it sound as if I'm always all over you or something. Yes, we hold hands and stuff, and perhaps I should have put some boundaries between us, but you're exaggerating about the other stuff."

"The bonfire meeting you crashed when dad was telling the old legends." Jacob reminded her.

"It was cold, and you were the one who pulled me onto your lap to keep me warm." Bella snapped.

Jacob rubbed his chin, that reason had fallen flat. He wracked his brain to think of other times she'd lapsed. "The time you sneaked over to see me behind the bloodsucker's back and we ended up falling asleep together on the couch. You were draped all over me when we woke up."

"It was cold. You wrapped yourself around me to keep me warm." Bella arched her eyebrows.

"Alright, what about the times on the beach when we went for long walks." Jacob said desperately. "You were always holding my hand and cuddling with me."

"It was cold; you put your arm around me to keep me warm." Bella replied sardonically.

"You make it sound like I was the one with my hands all over you." Jacob clenched his fist and glared at Bella.

"If the cap fits." Bella jeered.

"You make me so mad." Jacob yelled at her.

"Ditto." Bella folded her arms across her chest and matched his glare. She was so angry at him, but couldn't understand why. They sat in silence, just staring at each other resentfully.

Charlie ducked his head around the door and frowned when he saw Jacob and Bella staring at each other angrily. "It's time to go, Bells." He said with a curious expression on his face.

Jacob and Bella's angry expressions faded as panic set in. Bella hadn't given it much thought that Charlie would expect her to return home with him. She looked toward Jacob for help; he seemed as upset as she was. It was awful, this feeling of anxiety and fear. She didn't feel in control, and she could sense that the same was true for Jacob.

"Bells come on." Charlie was getting impatient.

"You should go." Jacob's words took Bella completely by surprise. She assumed he would want her to stay. She gazed at him, feeling perplexed. He was verbally giving her permission to go, but deep down inside did he mean it. She stood up and edged toward Charlie. So far, so good, she hadn't hit the invisible barrier yet. Charlie held the door open for her so she could walk out first. "Goodbye, Bella." The way he said goodbye sounded so final. Bella's heart fluttered in her chest. She turned to look back at him, her face strained and her nails digging into the palms of her hands. Jacob turned his head away from her so that he was facing the wall.

"We'll see you later, son." Charlie sensed the tension, even though he had no idea what it was about. He assumed they must have had a tiff or something. They would work it out, as long as Cullen didn't get between them again. Charlie's mood darkened. He ushered Bella out of Jacob's room and toward the front door. Billy was waiting on the front porch. Bella gazed at him helplessly. Billy sighed heavily as he looked back at her.

Bella waited and waited for the invisible brick wall to stop her from leaving, but nothing happened. She walked out of the Black's house without incident. She paused on the threshold, wavering, wanting to go back to Jacob and apologise for her anger, for giving him so much pain. But Charlie had his hand on her lower back and was guiding her toward the cruiser parked out front. "See you later, Billy." He called out to his friend.

Billy was sitting forward in his chair, his fingers gripping the armrests as he studied Bella. He watched intently, waiting to see what happened. He was amazed that she had manged to go so far, earlier she hadn't been able to leave Jacob's room. He wondered if his son's stubborn nature was behind this surprising turn of events. Bella's skin was coated in perspiration. Her front teeth were sawing at her lower lip as she tripped and stumbled. Charlie caught her arm and steadied her. "Careful there, kiddo."

Bam! There it was. Bella rebounded off the invisible barrier and stopped in her tracks. She couldn't get in the car. Jacob hadn't meant what he said. Bella was surprised at the relief she felt that he wasn't letting her go so easily. She should have been mad that once again she was being prevented from doing what she wanted, seeing Edward, spending time with his family. He must be overwrought, worrying about her, wondering why she hadn't been in contact. With no phone signal she hadn't been able to receive or send any kind of message.

"Are you getting in?" Charlie asked as he eyed Bella in concern.

"I can't." Bella attempted to walk forward but she hit the invisible wall again. She sighed softly. She could hear the squeal of Billy's wheels as he steered his chair down the ramp. "I think I should stay here and help Billy care for Jacob."

"What about school?" Charlie questioned. Billy had joined them now.

"A few days won't matter." Bella replied tiredly.

Charlie was wavering. He looked at Billy. "I thought you said you had enough help."

"I could use an extra pair of hands." Billy had held off asking. He had been waiting for Bella to suggest it. It was like a test, and she had passed so far. She was already changing despite herself. She may not realise it but the only one putting up the barriers was her. No imprint as far as he knew would ever be able to prevent a person leaving if they really wanted to. The bond was clearly having an effect. Billy couldn't contain his relief.

"Just a couple of days then." Charlie finally conceded.

"Thanks, chief." Billy smiled gratefully at his old friend. There was movement at Jacob's window. He had clearly heard what had been said. Bella hugged her dad and trudged back to the house leaving the two men alone.

"I'm kinda glad she's here actually." Charlie confided. "Any time away from Cullen's influence has to be a good thing." He looked pointedly at Billy.

"Of course." Billy sometimes wondered if Charlie knew more than he was letting on. Not for the first time he wished he could just tell his old friend, but the safety of the pack prevented it, the less people who knew about it the better. "Goodnight, chief."

"Night, Billy." Charlie climbed into his cruiser, switched on the engine, then waved at Billy as he headed down the dirt track.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thanks for the kind reviews! If Bella is frustrating you in this story raise your hand, lol ;) She sure is annoying the hell out of me. Work it out already girl. ;)**_

 **Part Four**

Bella was deliberately avoiding touching Jacob. After their last confrontation about their strained friendship/relationship she decided to rethink about how she acted around him. In doing so she didn't realise she was making the situation a whole lot worse for both of them. The atmosphere was tense and extremely unpleasant for Billy as he was forced to walk on eggshells around the two stubborn teenagers. For an imprinted couple they seemed to resent the hell out of each other right now.

"Enough of this." Billy said after enduring a whole evening spent listening to Jacob and Bella sniping at each other. "Bella, I'll call Charlie and get him to pick you up. Jacob needs peace to recover properly. I think it best that you go home."

There it was. Almost immediately Billy saw the flash of fear in both their eyes. In fact their facial expressions mirrored each other so perfectly in that moment that he was astonished. "How am I supposed to leave? You know that I can't." Bella was desperate. She glanced askance at Jacob. She noticed the flash of panic in his eyes, in fact she felt it. It was the first time she acknowledged to herself how in tune they were with each other emotionally. She wondered if Jacob was reacting to her own fears and vice versa.

Billy sighed and rubbed his face wearily. "Bella, the only one keeping you here is you. It's not the imprint. You're here because you want to be."

"That's ridiculous." Bella said in disbelief.

Jacob was taken by surprise by his dad's words. He gazed at Bella uncertainly, caught between hope and despair. It was an odd feeling. "I'm not the one keeping you here, Bells. I told you to go several times." He pointed out truthfully.

"So you're saying that I am imagining the invisible wall. You make me sound crazy." Bella protested. She felt a sliver of fear enter her heart. What they were assuming couldn't possibly be true. She had been adamant in her choice. For them to suggest otherwise was preposterous. Wasn't it?

"That's not what I mean." Billy continued. He could see that he had gotten Bella thinking. She appeared uncertain now. "You may not even be aware you are doing it. Sometimes our subconscious guides us in mysterious ways."

"But I know what I want." Bella cried out in denial. She swallowed thickly as she saw hurt cross Jacob's handsome face. She had done it again, caused him pain. She crumbled, sitting on the old couch and hiding her face in shame. "That didn't come out right."

"Call him." Billy offered. He heard Jacob inhale sharply but he looked at his son meaningfully. Jacob stared at his father for a moment before leaving the room abruptly. The slam of his bedroom door made Bella and Billy jump in alarm. "Call him, Bella." Billy said again. "If you are so sure of your choice then it will be easy for you." He left the room as abruptly as his son, leaving Bella alone, swamped in guilt.

* * *

"My love." Edward's voice was as smooth as velvet and filled with so much love and affection that Bella couldn't help but be soothed. Her guilt ebbed away slightly as she held the phone to her ear. "How is Jacob?" He asked out of genuine concern. "Carlisle predicted that he should be turning a corner by now and getting better with each passing moment."

"Yes." Bella choked out. Her eyes welled with tears. She felt like an adulterer or something, even though she hadn't really betrayed Edward in that way, not physically at least, but emotionally she couldn't deny that right now, even as she spoke to him, her mind was wandering to how Jacob was faring.

"You sound tired, Bella." Edward continued softly. "Are you ready to come home?"

"Oh, Edward." Bella began to cry in earnest. She couldn't help it. She barely heard his attempts to soothe her nerves. He thought she was crying because she was tired.

"Jacob is strong. He will recover. You need rest, my love." Edward cooed. "It has been a testing time for all of us."

"Edward, I can't come back yet." Bella whispered. Her face flushed in shame as she heard the crack in her voice. There was silence on his end for a few seconds. She tried to fill it with inane chatter, asking after Alice and the others, but finally she ran out of steam. "I need to stay for a while longer and make certain he is okay." She didn't know why she never mentioned the suspected imprint.

"I understand, Bella." Edward said eventually. "I know how much Jacob means to you. I know how hard it must be for you to leave his side while he is still not at his best. I just worry about the emotional impact it will have on you. Delaying the last goodbyes will only enhance…."

The line went dead. Bella pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it uncomprehendingly until she realised the cause of the lost connection. She twisted around to find Jacob standing nearby with the phone flex in his hand. He had pulled it out of the socket. He looked so angry, no more than that, he looked at the end of his rope. "I couldn't listen to his crap anymore." He snapped.

"He was only asking after you." Bella retorted as she slammed the phone down.

"No he wasn't." Jacob yelled at her. He threw the flex on the floor and sank his fingers into his hair, pulling at the roots as if he would tear it out of his scalp. "You are doing my head in, Bella. I can't stand it. I'm beginning to think you enjoy torturing me. You give me enough to start me hoping again, and then you pull the rug from under me, reminding me that nothing has changed. I am sick of the games."

"I am not playing games." Bella couldn't stop the tears. She could see that they were aggravating Jacob further. His dark eyes were full of torment as he gazed at her helplessly. "I am not playing games." She repeated her earlier refrain in a softer tone. She wiped the sleeve of her sweater over her face to wipe away the tears. "This is hard for me. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt Edward. But I keep doing it."

"Then stop." Jacob begged her. He reached out for her, and then stopped, annoyed that he was already longing to comfort her. That had to end. He needed to harden his heart, but that wasn't who he was. When he fell in love, he gave all of himself. He couldn't understand or relate to Bella's quandary. He didn't believe that you could love two people at the same time. He and Edward were as different as night and day. They had nothing in common. In fact were mortal enemies, despite the brief alliance to kill the newborns and dispatch Victoria. "I am not holding you here, Bella. You need to go. For my sake, please."

Bella's tears dried up. She stared at Jacob, her heart was thundering so loud it echoed in her ears. The sound drowned out his plea, although she had heard it clearly. Jacob had never once begged for her to go, in fact always the opposite, but she knew he wasn't lying, she could feel through their bond that he meant what he said. "You need me to go." She mumbled. Her head swam and her vision became fuzzy. She could feel the pain of his rejection pulling her under. He was rejecting the imprint. "You need me to go." She mumbled again. Bella saw Jacob's lips moving but couldn't hear what he was saying now. He looked indistinct and out of focus. Her heartbeat was all she could hear, she focused on it, counting the beats to try and assuage her panic, but in the end it only compounded it. Before the darkness made her soul shrivel she knew that it was gone. Jacob had broken the imprint and thus had broken her.

* * *

"Isabella." Bella's eyes flared open and she sat up abruptly. She regretted it immediately. Hammers pounded in her head. Her throat felt dry and parched. "If you need water there is some in the jug beside the bed." The amenable voice continued.

Bella rubbed at her eyes, trying to get them to focus. Water! The voice had mentioned water. She turned to the side and saw that the voice had been speaking the truth. A water jug, filled to the brim with sparkling clear liquid, sat beside her on a small cabinet. With shaking hands Bella grabbed the jug and poured some into the glass tumbler set next to it.

"Is that better?" Bella gulped the water down, enjoying the fresh feel of the water as it soothed her dry throat. She glanced to the side to see an old man sitting on a battered old armchair next to the bed. She gazed at him, perplexed. She recognised him, she was sure of it. The old man smiled. His tan skin was like parchment, he seemed so ancient. But when his lips curved upwards she caught a glimpse of the younger man he had once been. "We've met before. At the bonfire you attended. I'm Quil….or Old Quil as the others like to call me." He said congenially

"You're Quil's grandfather." Bella said hoarsely. She glanced around the strange room. She didn't recognise where she was. It wasn't her bedroom or Jacob's. It was still small, but beautifully decorated. She returned her curious gaze back onto the old man. "Where am I?"

"My daughter in law's room. Joy felt this would be the most comfortable room for you to recuperate in." Old Quil replied.

"Why am I here?" Curiosity infected Bella as memories assaulted her. The last thing she remembered was Jacob, they'd been arguing and then she must have fainted somehow.

"Jacob brought you here. The boy was out of his mind. You've been here for three days in my care while I prayed to the spirits to guide me on the best way to help you." Old Quil revealed. His expression became serious as he leaned forward and studied Bella with eyes full of ancient wisdom. "It was touch and go for a while. To have a wolf break an imprint is no small thing."

That's when it all came back. Bella's control snapped, familiar tears began to spill out of her eyes. She remembered with startling clarity the ultimate feeling of losing everything that mattered. "Is it really gone?" She whispered, while at the same time lamenting its loss.

"Yes. You are no longer bound to him. Jacob gave you exactly what he thought you craved." Old Quil didn't mince his words. He saw Bella's face crumble and he sighed. "That boy has not left this room in three days. He is in as bad a state as you. He was still trying to recover from his other injuries after all."

"What have I done?" Bella covered her face with her hands. "I was so confused."

"And now you're not." Old Quil sighed again. His bones creaked as he tried to make himself more comfortable in his chair.

"No." Bella whispered. She dropped her hands to her lap and gazed at the elder miserably. "Now all I feel is nothing."

"I was afraid of that. That is a side effect of the ritual I was forced to use. It was very touch and go. I am very sorry my dear." Old Quil did indeed appear full of sorrow.

Bella continued to gaze into the old man's eyes. She had so many questions but didn't know where to start. Her thoughts drifted to Edward briefly. She remembered his beauty, remembered the sound of his soothing voice and his cold touch that used to send thrills through her. But thinking about him didn't cause her the pain she once knew when in his presence. It was as if she was freed from the shackles of worshipping at his altar. Just as she had told the elder, now she felt nothing. It was as if her soul had shrivelled up and died and left behind a dried husk of who Bella used to be. "Will I ever feel again?" She dared to ask.

"I don't know." Old Quil had never been uncertain about anything before. But he was now. He looked at the young woman sitting so pensively on the bed and didn't know how to comfort her.

"What will happen to me now? Do I return home? You said I had been here three days. Has my dad been informed?" Bella fired her questions at the elder one after the other without drawing breath.

"Billy made up a reasonable excuse to Charlie. He thinks you are still helping Jacob to recuperate. As for what happens now I cannot tell you." Old Quil replied uncertainly.

"And Jacob? What about him?" Bella questioned. "He is free of me." Some vague emotion flickered behind her eyes but then it was gone. Instead weariness overcame her. "I think maybe I'll go and stay with my mother for a while."

"Maybe a change of scene will do you good." Old Quil agreed cautiously.

"I think it will." Bella said tonelessly. "Thank you very much for caring for me." She paused, swallowing thickly. "I would appreciate it very much if you told Jacob goodbye for me."

"No, I will not." Old Quil refused her request. "You will need to do that. The imprint may have broken, but his love for you has not." He gazed at Bella sadly. It was disheartening to see such young people make such a mess of love. He thought about Emily and Sam. They had endured much, but had ended up the stronger for it. Jared and Kim were happy and settled. He had never imagined that something like this would happen between the rightful Alpha and his chosen mate. Perhaps the fact that Bella had been enamoured of another supernatural creature had soured the bond. He couldn't be sure and would never truly know. It was so tragic, two star-crossed lovers who couldn't escape the fate of their own screwed up choices.

Bella showed no emotion at Old Quil's refusal to talk to Jacob for her. She welcomed the numb feeling, remembering how she had experienced it for months after Edward left. That was her first rejection, and now this was her second. How odd that both would leave her with such an unhealthy scar on her soul. "Is he still here?" She asked the old man.

"Yes." Old Quil replied thickly. "He has heard everything that has been said between us. He will try and dissuade you from going. He will try to save you again."

"But you know that I am dead inside. My feelings have been erased." Bella said disinterestedly.

The elder sighed again. "To live without love is no life at all. I am truly sorry, Isabella." Old Quil struggled to rise. He gave one last sad glance at Bella before shuffling slowly out of the room. Jacob was waiting tensely outside. The heavy cast on his arm had finally been removed. His bones had knitted together and he was able to move without pain, on the outside anyway. "Don't expect much." Old Quil warned Jacob as he passed him. "You knew this could be the outcome if she survived."

"She's alive." Jacob said desperately. "I made her live before. I can do it again."

"Or you can destroy what semblance of life she has left." Old Quil stated harshly. "You should have accepted your destiny from the beginning instead of trying to resist. Then perhaps things would have played out differently. You knew she was under the influence of the cold ones. Any human would suffer permanent effects after an extended period of time in their company. I had this debate with Carlisle Cullen when we were forced to tell the coven the truth about your imprint with Bella."

"I don't want to talk about that damn coven." Jacob snarled.

"They may be gone for now, but Edward Cullen will not stay away for long. He and his family have agreed to give Isabella space because they are concerned for her welfare, and despite my misgivings about Edward Cullen, it cannot be denied that he doesn't have deep feelings for Isabella." Old Quil replied.

"He caused this mess." Jacob had to inhale sharply to control his temper.

"And you and Isabella exacerbated it." Old Quil reminded him.

"Her name is Bella."

"The Bella you knew is not the girl in that room right now. Remember that." Old Quil's expression softened as he saw the misery written in every line of Jacob's body. He patted Jacob's arm before shuffling off down the hall to give Jacob and Bella some semblance of privacy.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading! I suppose none of you expected that, huh? There is a reason this fic is called Someday…**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews everyone. The last chapter was very angsty but has nothing on this one. Read on at your peril…..**_

 **Part Five**

 **Six months later;**

 _Jacob was yelling at her, his fingers dug into the tops of her arms as he tried to control his anger. He peered into her eyes, trying to see some sign of life, anything. He found himself shaking her slightly as he tried to force a reaction out of her. He would welcome her anger and disgust right now. But Bella's expression remained impassive, even a bit disdainful. She let out a heavy sigh, as if all of Jacob's theatrics were boring her. Her rosebud mouth opened as she told him once again she was leaving, and that nothing he could say or do would dissuade her. He found himself leaning closer, his eyes flicked to her lips, his fingers biting harder into her skin as he tried one last desperate act. He kissed her….._

Jacob woke up in a cold sweat. His body shot upwards, his eyes wide and staring as he tried to come down from his nightmare. It took him a long time to get his ragged breathing under control. He turned and punched his pillow, throwing it across the room until it hit the wall. He would have thrown something harder, but he didn't want to disturb his father sleeping just down the hall. Billy was worried enough as it was. Jacob stood up, running his fingers through his sweat soaked hair. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, breathing deeply, but he soon opened them again. The remnants of his bad dream were still haunting him. There would be no more rest tonight. He trudged to the shower and turned it on. The water was freezing cold, but it made no difference to him. His insane body heat soon warmed it up. The water ran in rivulets down his slick skin. Jacob stretched his arms out and braced his hands against the wall. He leaned his head forward, the water droplets continued to rain down him like silent tears. His throat closed up and he let out a silent scream of frustration and despair. The muscles along his arms bunched under the smooth skin and his jaw tightened. Jacob turned around so his back hit the wall instead. He leaned his head back against the cool tiles and let his anguish consume him.

* * *

Bella woke up to the Florida sun shining in her eyes. She sat upright in bed, rubbing her tired eyes as she tried to get used to the bright light shining through her opened window. It was odd feeling the heat from the sun blazing down on her. It was still early. She finally raised her head and let out an irritated sigh when she found Edward Cullen sitting on the old rocking chair she had brought back from Forks with her. A shaft of sunlight illuminated his smooth skin, and a myriad of rainbow sparkles glittered like a thousand diamonds.

"I told you not to come here uninvited again." Bella said testily as she glared at him.

Edward sighed sadly as he sat forward in the chair; it creaked as it rocked slightly. He was finding it hard to deal with this new Bella. She always sounded so harsh and irritated with him. Things they used to enjoy together now just irked her. He knew it was the fallout from the broken imprint. He was trying to be very patient. But he and Bella had faced so many obstacles already. When she had decamped to Florida to live with her mother and stepfather he and his family had followed. It was hard for them to live a normal life in the sunshine state but they were adapting. Carlisle had found a job working the night shifts at one of the best hospitals in the state. Esme seemed content to drift through each day and night reading and listening to the music she loved. Emmet and Rosalie had not come with them. They were in Africa on a Safari. Alice and Jasper were doing their best to fit in with the new routine, but Alice was lamenting the loss of her friend. Bella refused to see her, in fact had begged the whole family to leave her in peace, but to no avail. But Edward was not going to abandon his true love. There had to be a way to reverse what Jacob Black had done to her. Carlisle and Edward spent their days researching, trying to find an answer to Bella's malady. Not that she was very grateful or conducive to the tests that Carlisle wanted to submit her to. Already Edward had been forced to draw blood from her while she slept so Carlisle could test it. He hated having to be so devious but felt he had no other choice. Not once did he consider that he was violating her by doing so.

"Look love…"

"I am not your love." Bella interrupted him.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm his fraught nerves. "I am sorry. It's hard for me to stop using the endearment. But it expresses everything I feel for you…"

"Didn't I make myself clear to you?" Bella climbed out of her bed and began to pace. She was forced to keep her voice low in case Renee or Phil overheard. "I moved here for some peace. I told you that there was nothing between us anymore. I hate to sound so harsh, but you are forcing me to be blunt. Your behaviour is verging on stalking. I may have been okay with you just turning up in my room while I'm asleep in the past. I can't imagine why. But things have changed. So I would appreciate it if you left me alone, permanently."

Edward was hurt to his very core by her rejection. He dropped his eyes to his hands, alarmed to see them actually shaking. He didn't know how to handle it. He stood up and got in her path to stop her pacing. Bella halted as if she had hit a brick wall. She stared at him impassively, obviously waiting for him to go. "Carlisle has come up with some tests. Bella, we are sure that we are close to a cure. I came here today to escort you to our new abode. Carlisle has set up a lab there. We have the latest equipment…."

"I am not a lab rat to be experimented on. Leave. Now." Bella was losing her patience. She jerked her head toward the partially opened window. Edward gazed at her with pain filled eyes. She had raised her voice on octave and had disturbed Renee and Phil. They were beginning to stir in the room next door. He would have no choice but to leave. Bella watched as he slipped gracefully out of her window. He could move so fast that to a human eye he would be nothing but a blur. He wouldn't be detected by her neighbours. She sank onto her bed and sighed in relief that he had gone, for now.

"Hey, baby girl." Renee poked her head around the bedroom door, startling Bella. She laughed when she saw Bella jump. "You are a bundle of nerves today. You need to sort that out before your college interview. Want some of my special elixir."

"Yeah, great." Bella forced a smile onto her face. It was hard putting on an act all the time, to look as if she was showing some sort of emotion. She watched Renee's face soften as she came into the room and leaned down to kiss Bella's cheek.

"I love you, baby. You'll do well. I can feel it in my waters." Renee laughed when she noticed a disgusted expression chase away Bella's smile. "You really need to relax, sweetie."

"I will." Bella promised quickly, hoping that Renee would beat a retreat and leave her alone. Renee finally got the hint. She sauntered out of the room and closed the door. Bella sagged against her pillows in relief.

* * *

"Following her won't help." Billy said desperately as he watched his son shove a few essentials into a backpack and then sling it over his shoulder.

"I need to try." Jacob's jaw flexed as he tried to keep his guilt at bay. He was essentially abandoning his dad to go chase after a girl who didn't want him anymore. He knew it was stupid, he knew he was being a fool. He was the one who had severed the link with her after all. He thought that was what she wanted. He had let his own hurt pride and frustrations get in the way of the fact that Bella was waging her own war on the hold that the Cullen's had over her. Old Quil had been right in his assessment that Bella had been deeply affected by spending so much time with the Cullen's.

"Jake, you need to focus on your life here. Bella was adamant that she wanted to cut all ties. She did if for your sake as well as her own. The two of you do nothing but hurt each other." Billy reached out to his son.

Jacob ducked down so he was more on his father's level. "Please don't think that I don't hear what you say. I do. I know this is probably hopeless. Old Quil has warned me to be cautious. I will be careful around Bella. I love her, dad. I caused this because I was too impatient to let her come to her own conclusions about the imprint. I acted rashly, and let my hurt and anger control me."

"You broke the imprint, son. That has never been heard of before. You must have deep down inside wanted for it to be severed. Have you thought about that?" Billy put his hands on Jacob's broad shoulders and locked eyes with him.

"I dream about it every night. Yes, I wanted the imprint broken. I only ever wanted Bella to love me for myself. I wanted her to stay on her own terms not because my wolf demanded that she did. Don't you see? It's all such a mess. It was from the start. I didn't know what I was doing. None of us did. Look at Sam and Emily. They had to fight damn hard to get where they are now. And still underneath they bleed because of the hurt that has been caused. I need to try with Bella one last time." Jacob said earnestly.

"But I worry for you. She will reject you and how will you cope." Billy's fingers dug harder into Jacob's skin as he tried to get his son to see reason. "Old Quil told you there is no hope."

"He said there is some hope." Jacob corrected Billy as he gently took his father's hands away. "And I will cope." He stood up and smiled sadly at Billy. "Sue will be here to pick you up soon. The Clearwater's will look after you until I return."

"You will come back?" Billy's voice faltered as panic consumed him.

"I will come back. I promise." Jacob vowed. He ducked down again and hugged his father's frail body tightly. Billy gripped him hard before reluctantly letting go. When they released each other, both their faces were wet with tears.

* * *

Bella had won her place. The interview had gone well. She had come across as sure of herself, maybe even a little cocky. But that was an act. Inside she felt nothing. She couldn't even express pleasure that she had done so well. She had to endure a celebratory dinner with Renee and Phil. Her mother was off on another of her flights of fancy. She gifted Bella with healing crystals. "Wear this for protection, baby." She had pleaded. "It will keep your heart safe." As if she even had one that beat anymore. Bella hated sounding so disdainful, but that's how she felt. She couldn't enjoy anything anymore. Not reading, watching a good movie. No tears came to her eyes when she saw something sad on the television. She was like a dried out old husk with a young face.

Thankfully Renee and Phil went out on one of their date nights. Bella thought it absurd that they would call it that now that they were married. But at least it meant that she could drop the act and relax. She watched _Impractical Jokers_ on the small screen. It was something she and Jacob used to enjoy together. The silly pranks the men pulled used to make them roar with laughter. Not now. In her eyes Bella saw them as middle aged men who should know better. She switched off the television and threw the remote on the couch beside her. She was so bored. In the end she wandered into the small kitchen and began to bake a cake. Cooking was something she used to love, but now she did it automatically. It was nothing now but a mere distraction to stave off the boredom.

Bella timed the bake to perfection. The oven pinged and she pulled out a perfect sponge. She lathered it with thick chocolate, smoothing it all over the layers until it shone. She fancied she could see her reflection in it, but had to turn away at the dead look on her face. Bella placed it on a tray and studied it. How ironic? It was one of Jacob's favourites. How often had she made it in the past to cheer him after a hard night of patrolling, or when he was down because the pressure was getting too much? Often she made it to assuage her own guilt after hurting him or letting him down. The memories were painful, but Bella was numb to it. She ended up cutting a huge slice and then shoving it in her mouth. A sudden urge to feel something, even if it was the burst of sugar on her taste buds as she chewed consumed her. But nothing! She couldn't even get pleasure from a fucking chocolate cake. She cut another huge slice and gorged on it, letting the chocolate dribble down her chin as she sought feeling, anything.

There was a knock on the door. Bella didn't bother wiping her face. Uncaring, she sauntered out into the hall and thrust the door open. She should have expected him, but couldn't contain the small gasp of surprise that left her lips. "Jacob." She greeted him drily.

"Bells." Jacob replied coolly as he matched her imperious stare.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading! I love watching Impractical Jokers, it always raises a smile!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Someday**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

 **Part Six**

"Are you going to let me in?" Jacob asked as he tried to keep his tone casual. Seeing Bella standing there had thrown him. His tormented dreams had not done her justice. She was as beautiful as ever but the disengaged look in her brown eyes was disconcerting. He wondered why she had chocolate smeared around her mouth and chin and had to force himself not to touch her face.

Bella frowned. She stood aside and let him enter the villa. She had forgotten how tall he was as she watched him duck a little to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe as he walked inside. She took the lead, heading right to the kitchen. Automatically her first instinct was to feed him. How odd? Perplexed, Bella tried to sort through her confusion. She couldn't express any delight or happiness upon seeing him, which was denied her, but still a flicker of something she couldn't name stirred within. Due to her introspection she hadn't noticed that his eyes had been immediately drawn to the chocolate cake that had pride of place on the counter. "Do you want some?" She offered eventually when she became aware of the odd expression on his face.

"Why did you make this?" There was nothing causal about Jacob's tone now. He was dying inside, falling apart over an insignificant dessert, but not so insignificant to him. This was Bella's signature dish when trying to comfort him. Was there a meaning behind it being there? It looked fresh, though he could see that half of it had been eaten, probably by Bella herself, if the chocolate smears on her face were anything to go by.

Bella shrugged nonchalantly. Seeing her look so dismissive hurt him. Jacob tried to cover it up but he could see that she had noticed. He saw her frown deepen, and he hated seeing it. He wanted her to yell at him, scream, cry, to show some damn emotion, instead of this nonchalance. Old Quil had warned him to expect it, and he had tried to brace himself, but seeing her so closed off was horrifying. "Do you want some?" She asked again without answering his original question.

"Yes." Jacob ground out. He didn't thank her. Instead he watched her every move as she dug the cake knife into the cake and cut him a huge slice, dripping with chocolate. She placed it on a plate and passed it to him. He took it, making sure to brush his little finger against hers. He saw her blink a couple of times at the contact. She appeared bemused. He was hoping for more than that but still it was better than the indifference she had shown toward him so far. He bit down on the cake, enjoying the explosion of sweetness on his tongue. It was as delicious as always. "It's good to see you still enjoy cooking." He said with his mouth full.

"I wouldn't say enjoy exactly. It passes the time." Bella leaned back against the kitchen counter and folded her arms across her chest. She waited until Jacob had demolished the cake before she spoke again. "Why are you here?" She then asked him bluntly.

Jacob didn't like the sharpness of her tone. He swallowed thickly, drowning the angry retort which nearly burst forth from his lips. He remembered Old Quil's warning to tread lightly and forced a smile onto his face. "I came to see an old friend."

"But we weren't friends." Bella cocked her head to one side, her gaze curious.

Jacob counted to ten in his head before responding. "We were good friends, best friends."

"No, we weren't. I used you, Jacob. You do know that, don't you?" There was no guilt attached to her hurtful statement. Fresh pain burst through Jacob's frayed emotions and his smile faded. He glared at her, his fingers curling into fists. He heard Bella sigh as she turned away from him and began to cut him another slice of cake. She placed the slice on the empty plate and passed it to him. Jacob took it from her and threw the plate at the wall. She didn't even flinch as it shattered. "You shouldn't have come here." Bella said wearily as she immediately went to clear up the mess. "I left because it was the right thing to do. I was causing you pain. I hoped that you would move on."

"You can't change history because it suits you." Jacob snapped. He was angry at his loss of control. He bent down to help pick up the broken pieces of the plate. Bella didn't stop him. They worked side by side until it was all cleared up. When they were done they stood on opposite sides of the small kitchen and gazed at each other in silence. Jacob licked his wounds, crossing his arms defensively across his chest. "Being hurtful is not going to drive me away. I know you don't mean what you say."

"But I do." Bella replied quietly. "I have had a lot of time to think about my actions over the past six months. I've sat down and analysed the way I was with both you and Edward." She ignored his scowl when she mentioned Edward's name. "I'm a selfish person, Jacob." Bella raised her eyes to his, she didn't sound sorry, just merely regretful. "I convinced myself that it was my low self-esteem and clumsiness which were at the root of my problems, but feeling nothing, and being free of emotion has given me a clarity I would never have had before to see myself as I truly was. "

"You're not being rational." Jacob protested. "You're acting like a damn martyr again, thinking that the world revolves around you. Well let me tell you it doesn't. We all played our parts in what happened."

Bella looked at him stonily. "Will you at least do me the courtesy to let me finish." Jacob's jaw flexed but he nodded at her abruptly to continue. "I was vain. I can see that now. I coveted beauty it all its forms and lamented the fact that I wasn't myself. I looked down on others I considered not up to the standards I set. Oh, I pretended otherwise, but deep inside I was self-centred, egotistical, and self-absorbed. I used Edward to gain what I wanted. I wanted to be beautiful, to live forever worshipping my own vanity, and he was my means of getting it. You on the other hand…." Bella paused, frowning.

"What?" Jacob questioned bitterly.

"You tried to meld me into something I could never be." Bella shrugged, sighed and dropped her gaze to her hands. "It was a futile exercise on your part. I wasn't the girl you thought I was. I tried to be. I wanted to change, to push through my vainglory, but ultimately I was my own worst enemy. When Edward left me to rot I latched onto you. You had a crush on me, and I took complete advantage. Even when Edward came back I still continued to use you to bolster up my ego. What plain girl doesn't secretly long to have two beautiful boys fighting for her attention?"

Jacob absorbed her words like a sponge. Her assessment of their one-sided friendship and love was like a knife to his soul. He could see she was trying to tell him the truth as she saw it, but he wondered if her lack of emotion was clouding her ability to remember things as they had really been. "So you're saying the sad girl who sat with me day after day helping me to fix the bikes was just using me. That the broken girl who began to blossom in my company wasn't real, that the caring girl who accepted my wolf side without question never existed. You're saying all the times you cooked for me, comforted me when I wasn't coping, who helped me with my school work, listened to me day after day talking about my life on the res, who helped me with dad when he wasn't well. You're saying that girl wasn't real. That you were acting. _Bullshit_." He yelled the last word in her face. She didn't even flinch.

"Don't you get tired of this back and forth?" Bella questioned. "Go home, Jacob. Go home and live your life. One day you'll meet a girl of your choice who deserves you. That girl is not me. I have told Edward this, and now I'm telling you the same thing. All I do is hurt you. I don't want to do that anymore."

It took a moment for Bella's words to sink in. He sifted through what she had said, and it hit him like a brick. The Cullen's had disappeared after Bella had left Forks. Now it was obvious where they had relocated to. He'd had many private discussions with Old Quil over the intervening months as they talked openly and honestly about the imprint, about Jacob's future within the pack and as chief of the tribe one day. They talked about Bella's malady, and how it had only been compounded by her constant exposure to the cold ones on a daily basis. The elder had come to the conclusion that if she was away from their supernatural influence then maybe there was chance she would recover from the traumatic effects of the broken imprint and regain a sense of self. Healing came from within after all. But after what she had unwittingly revealed it seemed that she had not gotten the chance. Cullen was still around, casting his supernatural influence over her whether he realised he was doing it or not. Bella's barriers were up. Jacob pondered whether she was trying to protect herself from the supernatural influences that surrounded her by shutting off emotionally.

"Jacob, please go." Bella said softly when he didn't immediately respond. "I wish you well." She ended politely as if he were a passing acquaintance.

"I am your friend even if you dispute the fact that you were mine. I don't desert my friends. You need me Bella, even if you refuse to admit it. I'm not here to win you back. I'm here to support you."

"To save me." Bella corrected him.

"No. I can't save you. I've learned that the hard way. Only you can do that, Bells." Jacob continued sadly. "But I do want to be here to support you. You need that even if you think you don't."

For the first time Jacob saw uncertainty taint Bella's brow. She remained quiet for a long while, obviously mulling over his words, and trying to work out whether he was trying to trap her. "I can't understand why you would bother or even want to be my friend. I have used you. I have hurt you. Why would you continue to love someone who treats you so badly?"

"Because in-between the bad times when we did nothing but hurt each other, I hold onto all the good times when you made me the happiest guy in the world." Jacob said simply.

His words had an impact. He could see it. Jacob held his breath as he awaited Bella's answer. Slowly she closed the gap between them and held out her hand toward him as a gesture of peace. "Then you can stay." She offered as he took her cold hand in his warm one and they shook on it as if making a deal.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thank you for the kind reviews! I am intrigued by the different POV's that this story has elicited. Nikki**_

 **Part Seven**

Edward was alarmed as soon as Alice told him that she couldn't see Bella anymore. Being able to keep track of Bella's welfare through Alice's peripatetic visions had given him some degree of solace. He had been trying his best to give her some space for a few days. He didn't want to push Bella too hard too soon. Carlisle had made limited progress in trying to find a cure for Bella's malady, and it was frustrating Edward greatly. It seemed that for the first time science was letting him down. Right now he had been spending his days researching, trying to find a mystical cure instead. After all it had been a supernatural connection gone awry which had caused his love to lose her sense of self. But as soon as Alice informed him of her fears for Bella's safety Edward immediately decamped to the villa in Jacksonville to check on her, and what he discovered upset him greatly. The first thing he heard was laughter. It was Renee. As Edward peered cautiously through the rear window of the rented villa, he saw Bella's mother and stepfather, with Bella herself sitting beside Jacob Black in the kitchen. Renee was talking animatedly to Jacob, asking him questions and laughing at his responses. Phil was cheerily joining in, Bella was the one who remained silent and a little distant as she sat back and observed.

Agony consumed Edward as he watched the family dine together. Jacob fit right in. He recalled his time spent with Bella and her mother the one time he had accompanied Bella to visit her mother, purportedly for the last time. It had been a sombre affair. Bella had been subdued, consumed by guilt and anxiety as she spent some time with her mother. He had been forced to remain inside the whole time, making the excuse that he had to study. He had read Renee's mind, she thought him odd and a bit freaky, especially when he refused to eat with them at dinner, claiming he had to follow a special diet. Of course Jacob Black had no such trouble. Edward couldn't believe the shapeshifter's audacity, he was the one who had caused Bella irreparable harm, but here he was, trying to ingratiate himself with Renee and Phil, and Bella was allowing it. Edward couldn't understand why and it hurt him to the core. He refused to acknowledge his envy that Jacob could do all the normal everyday things he could not.

Jacob was fully aware that Edward was there, but he showed no sign that he knew. It was proof now that Cullen had been hanging around Bella and exposing her to his supernatural charms. Jacob had to accede he had supernatural gifts himself, but he was mostly human. He didn't need the mysticism that vampires used to reel their victims in. Their beautiful façade was just another element to make them appear charming and non-threatening to others. The Cullen's may believe that they didn't use these gifts, but it was obvious they did, albeit unconsciously. They wouldn't be able to help it.

"I can't get over how tall you are." Renee gushed, pulling Jacob out of his thoughts. She turned to Bella and reached for her hand. "You should have told us he was coming. I would have made something special, instead of ordering a takeaway."

Bella forced a smile onto her face. It was so hard maintaining the act. Introducing Jacob to Renee and Phil had been hard enough, explanations for his sudden arrival had been needed, and Bella found herself floundering. But Jacob used his natural charm to win her mother and stepfather over. He had them eating out of his hand after a few minutes, and it wasn't long before Renee offered him a place to stay. "Jacob doesn't mind, mom." Bella said testily.

Renee frowned; she couldn't understand why Bella was being so glum. Her daughter was smiling, but she could see it didn't reach her eyes. Something was bothering Bella. Renee had known that as soon as she had arrived back to live with her unexpectedly after previously being so adamant that she wanted to remain in Forks with Charlie. She had called her ex-husband discreetly to make enquiries. Charlie was upset that Bella had left so suddenly, and was blaming himself that he hadn't spent enough time with her. He was very vocal about his dislike for Bella's boyfriend at the time. He blamed Edward Cullen for the fact that Bella had left so abruptly, but Renee didn't think this was the whole story. Intuitively she knew that this Jacob Black may have been involved somehow, it was clear he had more than friendly feelings for Bella.

"Honestly Mrs, Turner I'm fine with this. Bells will tell you that I eat anything put in front of me." Jacob grinned, glancing at Bella, who looked back at him, still smiling, but with no light in her eyes. Renee noticed and she became anxious. Phil wasn't so observant. He engaged Jacob's attention again; glad to have someone he could talk to about sports. He asked Jacob if he had ever thought about playing basketball, with his height and athleticism he would be a perfect candidate.

Outside, Edward was trying to keep his disappointment and resentment under control. He was tired of witnessing this happy family dinner. He knew he was being petty but he wanted to break it up. He had read Jacob's mind, he knew that Jacob was fully aware he was there. Edward retreated, pulling out his cell and dialling the landline. The abrupt ringing seemed to startle everyone. The conversation was cut short as Phil went to answer the phone. Edward hung up. He heard Bella making excuses. Chairs were scraped back and they all began to head outside into the cool night air. Edward slipped away before he was spotted. He planned on coming back later that night when Bella was in bed. He deserved an explanation. Why would she allow Jacob Black to wangle his way back into her life and keep him at arm's length?

* * *

Bella felt a cold touch on her cheek. She shivered, opening her eyes slowly, already knowing who had disturbed her sleep. Edward was perched beside her on the bed. He smiled lovingly at her, his amber eyes spilling over with affection. Bella couldn't bear to meet his gaze. She felt weary. Putting on an act all through dinner had been exhausting. Edward had hold of her hand now. He lifted it to his bloodless lips and grazed them along her palm. Bella shivered again, gently pulling her hand out of his, and sitting up. "You shouldn't be here." She said dully.

Edward was hurt by her less than enthusiastic tone. He missed the days when her beautiful face would light up upon seeing him. She used to love being wrapped up in his cold, hard arms of a night, even though she had to curl up in a thick blanket to ward off the cold as he held her. But now she was withdrawing from him. He heard her sigh irritably and he felt despair wash through him. He was in torment. The girl he loved was locked away inside. He wished he knew how to draw her out, to coax her back to life again. He ignored the irony. Hadn't she once planned to end her life just to be with him for eternity?

"Alice said she couldn't see you. I grew concerned." Edward eventually replied. He longed to take her hand again but she had drawn her knees up to her chest and looped her arms around them.

"Jacob is here. But then you knew that already." Bella pointed out.

"Why is he here?" Edward demanded. He saw Bella frown, obviously not pleased with his tone.

"Haven't you already read his mind?" She snapped.

"I apologise." Edward pinched the bridge of his nose to calm himself down. "He wasn't really thinking about why he was there, only that he was enjoying the sports talk with your stepfather. I think he focused on that deliberately."

"So he knew you were around." Bella interrupted him. Her frown deepened. "He didn't bother telling me that." She muttered.

"He is already keeping things from you." Edward latched onto this desperately. "I can make him leave if his presence is upsetting you."

"I don't get upset, remember." Bella reminded him.

"I know." Edward grasped her hand again, holding it tight so she couldn't snatch it back. "I want to help you, Bella. If you'll let me, let us. We all miss you. Alice longs to see her sister. Will you come and visit? Carlisle can run some tests. I am sure between us we can unlock your emotions and…"

"And what exactly?" Bella snapped. "Turn me into one of you. I may be an emotionless husk, but I am glad to be free of one thing, the never ending anxiety I always used to feel. I am tired of telling you the same thing over and over. I can't be saved. This is who I am now. I don't have feelings for you anymore. I really don't want to cause you pain, but you keep forcing me to be harsh. Stay away from me, Edward. I want you and your family to leave me alone. I want peace and with you constantly hovering around, I cannot find it."

Edward reeled back from the brutality of her rejection. His soul shattered within. He had tried so hard, he kept on trying, hoping that the girl he loved would return to him. He pinched the bridge of his nose again, breathing shallowly, even though he didn't have to. "I seek the same. I too want peace." He raised his eyes to hers in despair. "You are my peace."

There was a soft knock on the door. Edward stiffened, already knowing who it was. He hated Jacob Black in that moment, loathed him even. He could read the shapeshifter's mind. Jacob pitied him, he had heard his emotional exchange with Bella, but he had come to intervene, to chase him out of the villa. Bella knew none of what was going through Edward's mind. She had no concept of the torment he went through daily at her loss. The door opened and Jacob came into the room. He looked at Bella for a second before his dark eyes flicked to Edward. "You should go. She wants you to." He stated firmly.

Edward rose from the bed. He threw Bella a tortured glance before he returned his attention to Jacob. "Maybe you should take your own advice. You were the one who hurt her after all." He sneered. He couldn't help but get satisfaction from seeing Jacob flinch at this reminder. Edward looked at Bella again. He drank in her beauty like a starving man. But when he stared into her eyes, it was his turn to flinch. They were cold, empty, and emotionless. He hurriedly murmured his goodnight to Bella before he vacated the bedroom, climbing silently out of her window and melting into the night.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me he was around?" Bella asked when she was certain that Edward was really gone.

"I never expected him to creep into your room." Jacob replied. "But then he never did learn boundaries."

"You should have warned me." Bella insisted.

Jacob swallowed thickly. She was right. He should have. There had been little time. Renee and Phil had taken all their attention, they hadn't had much chance to be alone to talk or even breathe. When he had awoken in the spare room and heard Edward's sibilant voice he had felt anger surge through him. He had gotten out of bed and was intending to throw Edward out physically, but overhearing the conversation between him and Bella had made him pause and his anger fade. The bloodsucker was getting short shrift from Bella, and Jacob actually felt a smidgeon of sympathy. But the longer Cullen wouldn't take the hint and leave Jacob had been forced to intervene. Now Bella was angry at him. "I'm sorry."

"I am tired of secrets. I don't appreciate being lied to either." Bella lay back down in bed and turned away from him. Jacob stared at her back as she pulled the light covers over her body. She hadn't even said goodnight, she was dismissing him like she had Edward.

"Goodnight would be nice." Jacob spat sarcastically.

Bella sighed, twisting her head around to look at him. "Close the door on your way out." She said irritably.

"Just because you can't show emotion doesn't give you the right to be rude." Jacob warned her in a low voice.

Bella sat up in bed again. Her long hair fell about her slim shoulders in a shiny wave. She gazed at Jacob, assessing him with her brown eyes, she appeared curious, maybe perplexed. The anger that had swelled within Jacob died again as he realised he had fallen into old habits. He could actually hear Old Quil lecturing him in his head. He smiled sheepishly at Bella. "I'm sorry."

"Are you?" Bella said mildly. She pursed her lips as if in deep thought. Lines crinkled at the corners of her eyes as she narrowed them. Jacob kept his gaze fixated on her beautiful face, hunting for any sign of genuine emotion, and not the irritation or boredom she often expressed. "I want to believe you are here for the reasons you told me earlier. But I am not so sure now. Are you like Edward? Do you think if you keep on at me you'll wear me down and that I'll have some kind of light bulb moment where my emotions just suddenly snap into place?"

"I did this to you, Bells." Jacob declared passionately. "I caused this. So, yes, I am not going to stop trying to pull you out of this emotionless funk you're in. I want you to feel again."

"Here it is." Bella shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "You came here out of some misplaced sense of guilt."

"No, that's not it. You're misinterpreting what I'm saying." Jacob moved closer to the bed. "Everything I said earlier was genuine. I'm here to support you. I'm here as a friend."

"Come here." Bella said suddenly, taking Jacob by surprise. He eagerly sat on the edge of her bed and was astonished when she grabbed his face between her hands and pulled him so close that their noses were touching. Jacob could feel her breath ghosting across his skin. His body yelled at him to grab the opportunity and close the gap, kiss her until she couldn't breathe, to draw an emotional response from her that way. He could feel the suppressed sexual tension between them. For a few seconds he thought Bella was reacting to it too. Her pupils dilated and her breathing was ragged. But then just as abruptly she released his face, the light in her eyes dimmed and she appeared as closed off as ever. "Goodnight, Jacob." She said coolly as she turned away from him and pulled the thin blanket over her body.

Jacob could do nothing but leave. She had definitely summarily dismissed him this time. He left the room, closing the door carefully behind him. With his back to the door, he slid down until his butt hit the floor. He drew his knees up and rested his forehead on them. His whole body shuddered as he recalled the brief moment of connection he had shared with her before Bella cut him off. His body hummed with the memory. Jacob didn't move from his spot, he drifted into an uneasy doze outside her room, and it was only when dawn broke that he finally woke up and returned to the spare room.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thank you for the kind reviews. It seems this story is definitely dividing everyone's opinions. Onto the next….**_

 **Part Eight**

Jacob's first week was already up and there was still no sign of a breakthrough. Bella remained distant and unreachable. He could see that Renee was worried. She would look at Bella with an anxious expression. Occasionally she would express that concern, but Bella just shut down and refused to engage. Renee sought Jacob out and asked him his opinion. "You were with Bella in Forks. You are her friend. What happened to her? I can see you have feelings for my daughter beyond friendship. Please talk to me. Bella won't." Jacob remembered Bella telling him that her mother could be very observant at times. She might be flighty and unpredictable, but was very intuitive.

"It was a tense time." Jacob couldn't tell her the truth, that he was responsible for Bella's emotionless state. Renee was under the impression it had something to do with Edward Cullen.

"I know she was depressed before when he left her. But not like this. It's like she's emotionally damaged or something. She's locked herself away and won't let anyone reach her. Maybe I should suggest counselling." Renee actually looked at Jacob hopefully, waiting for him to agree.

"I doubt Bells would go." Jacob admitted.

"No, you're right." Renee became deflated again. "My baby can be stubborn." She smiled kindly at Jacob and patted his hand. "I am glad you're here. Maybe she'll soften a little as more time goes on. I guess we have to be patient."

"Yes." Jacob returned her smile guiltily. His own time was running out. He only had a little money left, maybe to last another week. He couldn't impinge on the Turner's hospitality forever. Bella remained remote and unreachable. He decided to contact Old Quil for advice.

"How is she?" The elder asked. He didn't seem surprised to get the call from Jacob.

"Closed off." Jacob said bitterly. "I've spent the last week trying to reach her. I found out that the Cullen's followed her here. The bloodsucker has been hanging around." He couldn't hide the angry lilt in his voice. "I had to make him leave the other night. I heard Bella telling him to go, but he wouldn't take her at her word."

"He's trying to reach her just like you." Old Quil pointed out reasonably.

"I know but him hanging around is not helping." Jacob said tiredly. He rubbed his aching forehead. He felt tense all the time now and it was taking its toll.

"Have you tried to persuade her to come back to Forks for a visit?" Old Quil asked. "I would like to see her and assess things for myself."

"She won't come. She's determined to cut herself off from the past, including me." It hurt Jacob to say it, but he could no longer deny the truth, as painful as it was. Their brief connection the first night he had stayed was only that, mere seconds. Bella had cut him off before he could do anything about it, and had avoided talking about it ever since. Jacob was frustrated and deeply unhappy. "I don't know what else to do. I've tried to be supportive. I've tried to get her to open up by talking about the happy times, but nothing."

"What does she do with her day?" Old Quil asked instead. He wanted to steer the conversation in a different direction. Jacob's distress was clear.

"Bella's been preparing her stuff for college. She won a place very easy, even though she applied at the last minute. She's placed her entire focus on that." Jacob revealed. He paused, taking deep breaths, as he tried to calm himself down. Bella was preparing for a life without him, without anyone. Even though she could quite easily stay with Renee and Phil, she was determined to find a place of her own.

"Jacob, try again to persuade her to come back home for a visit. I've been researching while you've been away. Your father has been helping me. There are other things we can try to reach her." Old Quil advised.

"I'll try." Jacob felt defeated. It was like clutching at straws. Unless he physically dragged Bella back to La Push, she was unlikely to accompany him willingly. He remembered her words to Edward; she had refused all of his offers of help. Jacob thought it likely she would do the same with him. "How is my dad?" He asked the elder eventually.

"Missing his son." Old Quil sighed. "Stay strong, Jacob."

"Yeah." Jacob said his goodbyes and ended the call.

* * *

"I've found an apartment." Bella announced suddenly over lunch. Everyone stopped eating and stared at her. "It's a bit rundown, but the rent is cheap and it's close to the college. My savings will cover the first three months, and I plan on finding a job to cover the rest."

"But you can stay here." Renee insisted. "Why spend money when you don't need to. The college fees are crippling as it is."

Bella showed no reaction. "Dad gave me money to cover the first year, remember. Next year I will apply for scholarships to help me." She resumed eating while everyone else just continued to look at her.

Jacob exchanged a glance with Renee and Phil. Bella's mother appeared lost for words and Phil kept clearing his throat awkwardly, obviously worried about interfering. Jacob tried to think of the best way to broach the subject with Bella. Even if she refused to have him in her life, at least he would have some peace of mind that she had Renee and Phil to look out for her. But Bella was essentially shutting them out too. He knew if he sounded like he was against her idea about moving to a rough part of the neighbourhood he guessed she would immediately protest. Instead he tried to use another approach. "Have you viewed the apartment yet?"

Bella stopped eating and studied him thoughtfully. "No. I saw it online. I'm going to look at it later. But it seems okay. It has a bedroom and a small kitchenette and bathroom. That's all I need."

"Can I come with you?" Jacob offered. He kept his tone light. He was becoming a good an actor as she was.

"Yes, let Jacob go with you, baby. Phil and I would love to come too, just to see." Renee was practically pleading.

Bella frowned. Her brown eyes gazed at them all warily. "I'm not going to change my mind."

"No one's trying to." Renee said quickly. "Please let us come."

Bella shrugged. "If that's what you want." She began to eat the rest of her lunch again, and despite everyone's best efforts she refused to join in any further conversation.

* * *

The apartment was small and run down. Paint was peeling off the walls. The kitchenette couldn't even be classed as that. It consisted of one counter top, a tiny sink (the taps were covered in lime scale), and a kettle. There was no stove. If Bella wanted to cook anything she would have to buy a microwave. There was a small fridge which fitted under the counter top, but it wasn't working. The bedroom was like a cupboard. Jacob always thought his room was small, but it was huge compared to this. The bathroom consisted of a dirty bath with a shower head nailed to the wall. It was awful.

"You can't stay here." Renee was aghast. She had stayed in her share of rundown apartments when she had first taken off with Bella, but nothing as bad as this. "How that man dare charge anyone money to live in this filthy hole I cannot imagine. "

"Come on Bella, you can't really mean to stay here, surely." Phil's face was full of disgust as he looked around.

"He's right, Bells. It's a dive." Jacob ran his hand over the countertop cleaning away some of the grime.

"It just needs a good clean." Bella said irritably. "Lots of students stay here. It can't be that bad."

"You're not staying here. I won't have it." Renee stated firmly.

"You can't stop me. It's my decision. I'm an adult." Bella retorted.

"Well when are you going to start acting like one?" Renee lost her temper. This wasn't like Bella. This girl who had returned from living with Charlie may wear Bella's face, but she was an emotionless stranger. "What's going on with you? You're always so damn irritable all the time. When you crack a smile it's forced. It's like you want to cut yourself off from everyone who loves you, even if it means living in a dive like this." She threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

Bella didn't react at all, which only increased Renee's frustration. "Look mom, I just want to be independent."

"This is not the way to go about it." Renee snapped. "I need some air." She stalked out of the apartment, Phil followed, trying his best to placate his wife.

Bella turned to Jacob. He hadn't said very much and she was waiting for him to add his pleas to Renee's. "Have you nothing to say?" She asked pointedly.

"What's the point? You don't listen anyway." Jacob used her moves against her. He shrugged nonchalantly, turning away from her, and ignoring her questions.

This was the first time he had acted like this. Bella was bemused. She asked him again what he thought, but Jacob continued to ignore her, insisting again that she never listened. "I do listen." She insisted eventually. "But I need my independence."

"If you say so." Jacob shrugged again and made as if to leave.

"You think I shouldn't stay here." Bella said breathlessly as she tried to keep up with his long strides.

"What I think doesn't matter." Jacob didn't look at her, just continued to move so fast that she was forced to jog in order not to be left behind.

"Why did you insist on coming then?" Bella asked.

"For something to do." Jacob stopped walking. Bella skidded to a halt, she was panting for breath. They were now at the entrance to the tall apartment building. In the distance they could hear Renee arguing with the unscrupulous landlord.

"You've never been shy about giving your opinion before. Are you playing a game?" Bella questioned him curiously. "Is this like one of those reverse psychology things?"

"Is it working?" Jacob gazed deeply into her eyes. He had tried to do that a lot over the last few days in a desperate attempt to find some connection with her. Normally she would turn away from him, but she didn't now. She gazed back at him, as if seeking something herself. Whether it was her attempt to read him, and try and understand his motives, he didn't know. They locked gazes for a long time. Everything around them seemed to fade into the background, the noisy traffic, Renee yelling at the landlord, Phil's gentle voice advising caution, the sounds were muted. Their surroundings shifted, as if they were slightly out of focus. They were the only ones who seemed real and solid. Then just as quickly as it had all melted away, it came back with full force when Bella broke the intense stare. Jacob saw the confusion on her face. "Bells." He whispered as he reached out to touch her. "What are you feeling?"

"I don't know." Bella whispered back. She was staring at her hands, twisting and turning them as if they would give her the answers she so badly sought.

"You felt something." Jacob continued desperately. He didn't want to lose the brief connection they had shared.

"I don't think so." Bella sounded afraid now. She glanced up at him, then back at her hands. He didn't like to think that the first emotion in months she was experiencing was fear, but it gave him faint hope that something was stirring inside her. "We better go join mom and Phil." Bella muttered as she took off at a run.

Jacob's jaw flexed as he tried to stem the tide of frustration. Why did Bella always run when things got too much? He caught her up easily, but chose not to push her. They could hear the landlord arguing with Renee, he had withdrawn the offer of the apartment. A satisfied smile crossed Renee's face at this news. She spun around when Bella and Jacob joined her and Phil. "Don't pull that sour face, baby. It's for the best." She said quickly before Bella could protest.

"It's done now." Bella replied dully. Renee was alarmed that her daughter didn't even put up a fight. She put an arm around Bella, but Bella shrugged it off. "Let's go." She stalked off toward Phil's car with her head down, and her long hair covering her face.

"She's angry with me." Renee said unhappily.

"She'll get over it." Phil took Renee's hand as he tried to comfort her.

"Will you talk to her?" Renee pleaded with Jacob.

"I'll try." Jacob offered. He knew that Bella wasn't upset because she had lost the apartment, but because what happened between them had freaked her out. For a few moments she had felt something again, and it had scared the shit out of her. They all reached the car together. Bella was already inside, staring out of the window, with a faraway look on her face. He was about to climb in beside her when his attention was caught by the sound of squealing brakes. He turned to glance at the busy road, so did Phil and Renee. He heard Renee cry out and Phil gasp. There was a child in the road; he was sitting astride a small push bike, his eyes wide with terror as he stared at the approaching truck. Jacob knew a truck that size was never going to be able to stop before it crashed into the frightened boy. Jacob sprinted so fast that Phil and Renee hadn't noticed that he had moved. The next thing they saw was Jacob pushing the boy out of the way. Then the truck slammed into him….

* * *

It was terrifying, frightening, horrifying. Bella couldn't cope. The force of her suppressed emotions threatened to kill her as she stared down at Jacob's broken body. It was the newborn battle all over again. In the background she could hear the distressed cries of the little boy. His mother had appeared and was comforting him. A crowd had drawn a tight circle around Jacob as he lay on the ground, his eyes closed and blood pooling under his head as it sank into the hot tarmac. Bella watched as Phil began CPR, alternately trying to breathe life into Jacob, and then pumping on his chest. She heard her mother frantically calling for the emergency services on her cell. Sound was fragmented. Alternately it fell silent then slammed back into Bella with a blinding force. She could smell the blood. Then Renee's arms were around her. Bella couldn't hear what her mother was saying, her head was spinning, and her heart was jumping out of her chest. Jacob was dying; he was bleeding out all over the road.

Bella was back in that moment, back in La Push, in the Black's house with Jacob. They were tearing each other apart. She could feel the cold wrench of his rejection as it pulled her asunder. The same blinding force slammed into her, and she nearly joined Jacob on the tarmac as her head swam and her vision blurred. "No." She mumbled.

"What, baby?" Renee clutched at her daughter like a woman drowning. It was like a nightmare. "Help will be here soon." She promised hopelessly.

"He's going to die." Bella's breath hitched. Unfamiliar wetness scotched her face. She touched her skin with shaking fingers and they came away soaked in her own tears. She was crying. She was fucking crying while Jacob lay dying on the road. "I did this." She said in anguish.

"He saved the little boy." Renee whispered.

"I killed him." Bella continued in despair.

"Stop talking like that." Renee snapped at her. "Help will be here soon."

Bella choked up. She disentangled herself from Renee's arms and staggered over to Jacob and fell on her knees beside Phil, who was still trying to kick-start Jacob's heart. Bella had never seen her stepfather look so distraught before. His handsome face was scrunched up and his eyes were moist with unshed tears. Sirens wailed in the background as the emergency services finally arrived. Phil stopped what he was doing and yelled at the nervous crowd to let the paramedics through. While he was distracted Bella hovered over Jacob. "Wake up." She snapped at him. There was no response. Her tears fell onto his hot skin and they sizzled. "Wake up." She demanded again. Bella slapped his face. "Wake up. Wake up."

"Stop it, Bella." Phil had finally noticed.

The paramedics struggled through the crowd. Phil tried to push Bella away but she didn't move. Renee joined them. She put her arms around her distressed daughter and tried to get her to rise, but Bella refused to budge. "Wake up, dammit." Bella snarled at Jacob as anger overtook her grief. "You're a fucking wolf. GET UP!" She was screaming now.

"Bella, stop it." Renee pleaded.

"Get away from me." Bella spat as she pushed Renee away. She glared so fiercely at Phil that he too retreated. The paramedics had finally reached them. Bella ignored their pleas to move and instead clutched at Jacob. She ducked her head so her mouth was close to his ear. "Just wake up. I can't handle this alone. I can't handle this pain. You can feel me. Come back to me, wake up. You made me feel again, damn you. Wake up. I need you."

"You need to move, madam." The older paramedic was used to dealing with distressed people. He manoeuvred Bella out of the way skilfully so his colleague could begin working on Jacob.

Bella let out such an agonising cry that it seemed to reverberate in the air. Renee's arms were around her again as well as Phil's as they tried to comfort her. Bella watched in despair as the paramedics worked on Jacob. The surrounding crowd gawped in stunned silence. The only sound was the little boy's cries and his mother's soothing words of comfort. This is what she had been afraid of. This is why she didn't want to feel again. Love only caused pain, and right now it was threatening to tear her to shreds.

 _Then…_

"We've got a heartbeat." The older paramedic's grim expression turned to one of relief. "Come on, let's move him."

Bella could breathe again. She surged forward with her mother and Phil as they watched the men load Jacob into the back of the ambulance. "You go with him. I'll follow in the car." Phil ordered his wife.

Renee nodded and helped her distressed daughter into the back of the ambulance. The doors shut, the siren wailed, and they were off, with Phil following behind.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thank you for the kind reviews. I appreciate them so much!**_

 **Part Nine**

Jacob felt his eyelids being opened. His vision swam into focus until he saw Quil Ateara hovering over him with a curious expression. "What the fuck?" Jacob sat up abruptly. He shoved Quil out of his way as he stared around wildly. He was disorientated and he didn't know where he was.

"Jeez, chill dude." Quil complained as he rubbed his arm where Jacob had inadvertently punched him.

"You're such a tool, Quil." Embry came into view. He smiled at Jacob while at the same time punching Quil in the same spot on his arm.

"All of you back off." Jacob was relieved to hear Sam's calming voice. He relaxed a bit. He still didn't understand how his brothers came to be there, the last thing he remembered was the kid in the road with a huge truck hurtling toward him. He watched as Sam pushed his way to the front of the group and studied him carefully. "Do you remember what happened?" He asked.

Jacob shook his head to get rid of his confusion. He was beginning to think this couldn't possibly be real. He was in Florida; the pack was in La Push. He was hallucinating or something. He glanced at Sam, and then his surroundings again. More confusion set in as he slowly recognised where he was, the Ateara house. "What's going on?" Panic consumed him as he thought about Bella. Where was she? He stared at Sam, his dark eyes begging for answers. "Where am I? Where's Bells? I don't…."

"Calm down." Sam kept his voice steady so as not to alarm Jacob further. He motioned for the others to remain quiet. Quil opened his mouth to speak again but Embry kicked him in the back of the leg and glared at him. The others did as Sam bid them and remained mute as they watched Jacob in concern.

"Sam, I'm losing it here." Jacob interjected when the older guy didn't answer right away.

"You've been unconscious for over two weeks while your body tried to heal itself. You took a heavy hit when the truck crashed into you." Sam informed him.

Jacob continued to stare at him. His head felt heavy but apart form that he wasn't in any pain. He gingerly tested his limbs. They seemed to work. There was no sign of even a scratch on his skin. "How did I get here? Where's Bella?" He asked again desperately.

"Bella is with Emily, Kim and Old Quil." Sam put a hand on Jacob's shoulder to keep him still. He looked as if he was about to leap out of his bed to go search for her.

"Yeah, dude, chill." Quil interjected. "They're outside meditating."

"Meditating?" Jacob's eyes flicked to Quil in bewilderment. "Are you taking the piss?" He demanded before turning his attention back to Sam. "Is he taking the piss?" He asked him instead.

A rare smile flicked across Sam's handsome face. "No, he's telling the truth. Bella is with the others, meditating."

Jacob rubbed a hand over his face. He was definitely hallucinating or something. He pinched his arm, but all he got was a sharp pain for his efforts. The pack was still there. He was still in the Ateara house. "Start from the beginning." He pleaded with Sam. "I don't understand what the hell is going on."

Before Sam could respond the others began to tell the story in garbled voices. "Bella rang Emily." Seth began.

"Yeah, she was like freaking out majorly." Paul rolled his eyes. "You nearly killing yourself certainly pulled the princess out of her funk. We could all hear her screeching down the phone at poor Em a mile away."

Sam gave Paul a disapproving glance. "You were sitting right next to Emily at the table stuffing your face when she got the call." He reminded him.

Paul shrugged nonchalantly. "Just telling it like it is."

"Bella was really upset." Embry decided to regain everyone's focus. He could see Jacob was about to blow a gasket. "After Emily got Bella to calm down we finally understood why she had called. You were in hospital being prepped for theatre. She panicked; she knew that once the doc's started operating that it was game over."

"Yeah, so I had this awesome idea." Quil interrupted him.

"It was mine actually." Jared pointed out irritably, annoyed that Quil was trying to steal the credit for Jacob's subsequent rescue.

"Yeah, right." Quil pulled a face before turning back eagerly to regale Jacob with the confusing tale. "I suggested that we get Bella to tell the hospital that you practised some obscure religion and that operating on you would go against your religious beliefs. That delayed things." Quil grinned widely. "It gave us time to sell some of our stuff to raise the air fares and hot foot it to sunny Florida and rescue your ass."

Sam shook his head at Quil, signalling for him to shut up. "That's not quite how it went down." He told Jacob.

"You sold your stuff?" Jacob swallowed thickly as he met each pair of eyes individually. He felt guilt swamp him. Emergency air fares were not cheap, and most of them didn't have a lot. However each pack member gazed back at him steadily, not one showed that they regretted their actions. Even Leah smiled at him, which was as rare was one of Sam's smiles.

"Sam sold his truck." Seth was the next to speak. "I sold my games consoles, so did Quil and Embry." He stated proudly.

"Your truck?" Jacob knew how much Sam needed his truck for work.

"It doesn't matter." Sam assured him. "I'll get it back. Old Quil is in the midst of persuading the other elders to delve into the tribal coffers and cover the cost of another one."

"Your dad pawned your mom's wedding and engagement rings." Paul's confession sent Jacob reeling further. He thought of how much those rings meant to Billy. They were all he had left of Sarah.

"Where is my dad?" Jacob asked softly. He felt his eyes moisten.

"He's with Charlie trying to keep him preoccupied. He knows that Bella is back in Forks but staying with Sam and Emily, and he doesn't understand why she won't see him." Paul was feeling stupid for blurting out such a personal thing to Jacob when he had only just woken up. He felt his brother's glaring at him in annoyance.

"I can't believe it." Jacob was feeling overwhelmed with both guilt and love for the pack who were as good as family. This is what brotherhood meant, looking out for each other when times get rough. They may fight on occasion, get rowdy or rub each other up the wrong way, but when it came down to it, they were fiercely loyal to each other. "Thanks guys."

"Just don't go leaping in front of a passing truck again." Quil quipped. The others groaned at his lame attempt at humour but no one called him out on it. They were all feeling a bit emotional themselves and a tad awkward.

"Anyway we all flew down to Florida. I give Bella her due, despite being an emotional wreck she had managed to dissuade the authorities from operating on you for a good twenty four hours. They were about to wheel you into theatre when we all piled into the hospital."

"Yeah, we caused quite a stir." Jared laughed at the memory. "Six great hulking guys and a crazed woman." He yelped when Leah hit him hard on the shoulder. "I was just kidding." He gave Leah a hurt look before continuing. "Let's just say we created enough of a distraction to get you out of the hospital unnoticed before we took off."

"But what about Phil and Renee?" Jacob dared to ask. It all sounded so crazy, but entirely plausible at the same time.

"Renee helped actually." Paul said with a hint of admiration in his voice. "If I was into cougars I would definitely do her."

"You're sick." Leah snarled in disgust.

"Shut up, Paul." Sam warned him. He then returned his attention to Jacob, who was getting impatient for them to finish the story. "Renee did help a lot. I have a feeling she guesses that there is something different about us. She didn't ask directly, but she saw how fast you moved to rescue that kid. A normal human would have been dead on impact after getting smashed by that truck. Anyway she deflected Phil from asking too much and kept Bella as calm as she could." Sam winced when he mentioned that part.

"What?" Jacob noticed Sam's ambivalence and his heart stuttered painfully in his chest. "Talk to me." He demanded.

"Bella's emotional state isn't that great." Sam finally admitted. "Your accident pulled her out of her torpor, but it's like she's gone the other way. It's as if she feels too much. It's hard to explain unless you see her."

"I want to see her now." Jacob tried to climb out of the bed but Sam stopped him.

"Look, Jake, she needs to prepare herself. That's why she's meditating. Emily and Kim are with her for support. Meditating is the only thing that seems to soothe her enough so she can cope with how she feels."

"He's right, Jake." Embry perched on the edge of the bed and gazed sympathetically at his friend. "She knew you would wake up soon, but knew she wouldn't be able to cope with the onset of her emotional relief. One minute she's so high it's like she's on drugs or something, the next she's on such a downer she never stops weeping."

"The ice princess has quite the temper too." Paul rubbed his jaw as if remembering an old pain.

"And a great left hook, although she did hurt her wrist." Seth looked slyly at Paul. "I don't think you'll ever call her vampire girl again. She told me it was totally worth the pain hitting you square on the jaw."

"You hurt Bella." Jacob couldn't stop his own anger boiling over at the fact that Bella had gotten hurt because of one of Paul's insults.

"She's fine, well physically at least." Sam had to give Seth and Paul another warning look. They quietened down and allowed him to speak. "It's been a trying time for all of us. It took us days to drive you back here. It took an emotional toll on everybody. But you're awake, unharmed and that's all that matters."

It was all too much for Jacob to take in. He had literally dodged another bullet, but once again Bella had been in the firing line. He had hurt her again even though he had vowed not to. No one had mentioned the Cullen's, and he didn't want to bring them up. He was relieved that the first thing Bella had thought to do at such a fraught time was contact his pack. He could not contain his joy that it hadn't been Edward she had reached out to for help. She had come back with his pack to La Push. She was allowing them to assist her. There was hope. Jacob clung to this as he persuaded his brothers that he was well enough to get out of bed. He was desperate to see Bella and his father. There was so much he still didn't understand or know. He knew that Sam and the others were making light of how difficult it had been for them to come to his aid. They had risked discovery, they had risked everything to bring him and Bella home to safety. He would never be able to repay them, not in a thousand years.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading! In the next chapter there is the Bella/Jake reunion. It won't be easy. Bella is far from emotionally well….**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thank you for the kind reviews.**_

 **Part Ten**

Bella knew he was there. She couldn't quite explain why. She was sitting in the lotus position in front of Old Quil. Emily and Kim were sitting in the same position either side of her. She heard Emily give a small gasp of joy, followed shortly after by Kim. Bella braced herself, slowly opening her brown eyes and then twisting her head to look in the same direction as Emily and Kim. She heard Old Quil struggling to his feet as he called out a greeting to the pack. But all Bella could see was Jacob. He was standing barely a foot away from her, looking handsome, strong, vital and alive. His tan skin seemed to have a healthy glow to it; his dark expressive eyes were sparkling as they gazed down at her.

"Hey, Bells."

"Hey." Bella replied faintly. She felt frozen in place, unable to untangle her legs. Emily and Kim were already on their feet, running to greet their men. Bella's head was a mess. Happiness, relief, fear, panic, they all fought for dominance. Jacob was shocked at the myriad of expressions that crossed Bella's face. He could see now what his brother's meant. He hunkered down so he was on Bella's level and held out his hand toward her. Bella raised hers, her fingers were shaking, and then a tremor ran through her entire being. "You're okay." She whispered as Jacob caught her cold fingers in his warm ones.

"I'm better then okay." Jacob assured her. Bella looked like a frightened baby bird. He saw her blink, tears coated her lashes. She couldn't seem to stop trembling. He laced his fingers through hers as if this would lend her strength. "It's alright, honey. It will be alright."

But it wasn't alright. Bella felt tears splash on her cheeks as old memories came back to haunt her. She saw Jacob broken, lying cold on the ground after being attacked by the stray newborn. She saw his body being crushed by the huge truck as it took him down. Her emotional relief was washed away to be replaced by an all-consuming fear and panic. She tried to push it away, to try and utilise the skills Old Quil had been teaching her to harness her strongest emotions. But it wasn't enough. Bella sank under the weight of her old nightmares and began to weep. Great choking sobs tore from her throat. She felt Jacob's strong arms wind around her; he whispered soothing words in her ear. He pressed his lips into her hair as he rocked her like a child. But that wasn't enough either. Her world turned dark. Bella's biggest battle had always been against her anxieties, and once again they brought her crashing down.

* * *

"Bella." Old Quil passed her a mug of warm milk. "Drink this it will settle your stomach."

Bella took it from the elder gratefully and gulped it down. The tight knot in her stomach eased and she sighed in relief. "Thank you." She murmured as she passed the empty mug back to him.

"You're welcome." Old Quil sat back in his chair and scrutinised her carefully. "Do you feel able to tell me what happened?"

Bella hung her head, hiding her face behind her long hair. She felt neurotic and very embarrassed. It was hard to explain the sharp rush of differing emotions that had assaulted her when she first saw Jacob. "I felt relief that he was finally awake. I was happy. I wanted to leap up like Emily and Kim and run to him but I was frozen. I couldn't move. Then the fear came back."

"Ah, your fear." Old Quil sat forward in his seat and rested his hands on his knees. "You need to share them with Jacob, my dear. You need to tell him the real reason why you didn't choose him."

Bella felt tears dribbling out of her eyes as she became overwhelmed again. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and finally dared to glance at the old man. "It doesn't change anything."

"No, but being honest will ease the burden you carry in your heart. Doesn't Jacob deserve the truth from you?" Old Quil said simply.

"I don't know what the truth is anymore. I don't know who I am either." Bella replied sadly.

The elder was saddened by her admission. She was too young to be feeling this way. She had witnessed a lot of bad things. Her time in Volterra had scarred her, even if she didn't truly acknowledge this. The Cullen's had done her irrevocable harm by introducing her into their world. They strived to be different, to make something noble out of their existence. Old Quil couldn't fault them for that. But to drag an innocent human into their world was only going to end badly. Bella had endured a lot, she had been attacked by a vengeful cold one, and she had been forced to run to Italy, essentially the lion's den, to stop her vampire lover from ending his existence. In doing so she had seen things that would give any sane person nightmares. How often had Charlie told them all about his daughter's sleepless nights where she would awaken, screaming. Then upon her return she was caught between the wolves and the vampires as she fought to remain neutral, to keep those she loved the most closest to her. That was a fight she was always going to lose. Old Quil had no concept of what she must have suffered daily. Her fears and anxieties had been overwhelming as the days and weeks dragged on and on, while she waited for Victoria to make her move. All those she loved were dragged into protecting her. The elder could understand why her dominating emotions were anxiety, fear and panic. Then when the battle was over and Victoria was vanquished, somehow an imprint had formed between her and Jacob. Bella had been in no fit state to deal with another supernatural attachment, and neither had Jacob. It was no wonder it had gone awry.

"You need to forgive yourself." Old Quil said eventually. "Until you do, then how do you think you will ever be strong enough to become the woman you deserve to be."

* * *

Jacob was distraught. Once again his presence seemed to do nothing but hurt Bella. It had crushed him, seeing her so desperate and heartbroken. He had held her, hoping that his touch would sooth and calm her. But it seemed to only add to her anguish. Sam and Embry had been forced to intervene and pull Bella away from him when he wouldn't let go. Her eyes were red and sore from crying. She was falling apart and he was the cause. He was full of torment as he paced up and down outside the room where Old Quil had told the others to take Bella. He could hear the conversation between them, but he was so upset he wasn't really taking anything in.

"You can't blame yourself." Sam said wearily as he watched Jacob torture himself mentally with what ifs. Seeing his brother in this state brought back painful memories for Sam. This is how he had been when the imprint first occurred between him and Emily. He had been full of despair and self-loathing; tormented by the fact that he had caused harm to those he loved.

"You warned me but I didn't really understand." Jacob stopped pacing and ran his fingers restlessly through his hair.

"You will get through this. You have to try and stay calm. Bella's already emotional enough for the both of you." Sam reminded him.

Jacob gulped in some air as he tried to follow Sam's advice. They were interrupted when the sound of Old Quil shuffling along the floor alerted them. The door opened and the elder emerged from the room wearing a grim expression. He motioned for Sam to come forward. "She wants to talk to you."

"Me." Sam was stunned as was Jacob. "Why?"

"Just go in." Old Quil stepped aside to let him enter.

Jacob gazed at the elder in despair. "She doesn't want to see me."

"She does. There is something she needs to clarify first, and Sam is the only one who can give her the answers she seeks. Be patient, Jacob." Old Quil gestured for Jacob to go in front of him. "Come, I'll make us both a hot drink. Bella deserves her privacy, don't you think?"

Jacob couldn't argue with the old man. With his heart heavy in his chest he followed the elder as he walked slowly down the hall.

* * *

"I don't see how I can help." Sam said tiredly. He watched Bella's animated expressions as she tried to talk calmly without getting hysterical. It was still so odd to see the play of emotions on her face after witnessing her former lethargy.

"I need to know if it's possible to love two people." Bella asked him bluntly. She hadn't meant to blurt out her question in such an abrupt manner, but she was desperate for answers. Sam was the only other person she knew who had loved two people at the same time…or was it love? She needed to know how it had been for him so she could understand her own feelings toward Jacob and Edward.

"I'm not the person to answer that." Sam ground out. He glared at Bella, angry that she bringing up painful memories.

"You love Leah. You love Emily. Or did you?" Bella sat forward. Her eyes were blazing with curiosity. Sam found her sudden changes in mood alarming. He sat back and crossed his arms defensively across his chest. Bella's fingers curled into her palms as she matched his stare. "I need to know. Please." She begged.

"It's none of your business." Sam snarled.

"My head is splitting apart with all the blame and guilt I carry." Bella snapped at him. "I can't contain all this emotion. It's killing me. I need to understand if my feelings are real. Can you love two people? Did you really love Leah? Or was Emily always the one you were going to fall in love with? Was Leah just an infatuation? Was my love for Edward the same? I can't make sense of it. Please."

"NO." Sam, who was usually, so in control, lost his cool as he yelled his answer at Bella. She was taken aback by the ferocity of his response. "It wasn't real love between me and Leah. I was deeply attracted to her. I cared for her, I still do. But when Emily came into my life it was different. She was so soft, so gentle and caring. We fought so hard to deny what would have happened eventually without the imprint. She was Leah's cousin for fuck's sake. So, no, loving two people at the same time is utter bullshit. You only love one; anything else is infatuation or physical attraction."

Bella gazed at Sam with empathy in her eyes. She felt her anger ebb away, and now felt as world weary as Sam appeared now. "I am sorry I brought up such a painful subject. I needed to make sense of my own guilt."

Sam stood up and turned his back on her. "You don't know how much seeing you around Jacob reminded me of my own mistakes that I made with Leah."

"That's why you were always so wary around me." Bella surmised.

"Yes." Sam admitted. "You reminded me of myself in a lot of ways, torn between two people, loving one and not wanting to hurt the other. But in not making a choice you do more harm than good. I understood why you chose to stay with Edward and the Cullen's after the newborn battle." He turned to glance behind him at Bella again. "Seeing Jacob nearly getting killed in your defence broke you more surely than the imprint did. I saw through his mind the kiss you shared on the mountaintop. It was obvious who you really loved, but you chose to reject him because of your guilt. You didn't need me to clarify anything for you Bella." Sam continued quietly. "You just needed me to reaffirm what you already knew." He then left her alone to think.

* * *

Jacob sat on the edge of the bed. He didn't immediately reach for Bella's hand. He was so pent up with worry that any wrong move on his part would send Bella's emotions spiralling out of control. He hated being the one that hurt her. But to his relief she was the one who reached for his hand. She smiled tiredly. Her eyes were sad, but she seemed more at peace with herself. She had been closeted with Old Quil, Emily and Kim for the past hour, meditating. Jacob had asked Sam what Bella had needed him for, but Sam had refused to tell him. "She will tell you in her own time." He would say no more on the subject which left Jacob feeling frustrated.

"I'm so…." Jacob began before Bella shook her head fiercely at him. "What?"

"No more saying sorry." Bella stated firmly. She felt a rush of emotion wash over her and she paused, trying her best to contain it and remain calm. Jacob waited patiently until she was in control again. "I need you to listen and not interrupt no matter what I say. Promise?" She begged.

"I promise." Jacob pretended to lock his lips and throw away the key which earned him another small smile from Bella.

"Good." Bella's smile faltered to be replaced with a frown. "I'm going to be honest with you, as honest as I can anyway. I still can't fully explain everything I was thinking or feeling back then." She gave him an apologetic glance before continuing. "I needed to talk to Sam because I needed to understand something about myself and he was the only one who could give me perspective." She paused again and swallowed thickly. Tears were threatening to fall and she knew she had to speak quickly before her emotions brought on the usual hysteria. "I didn't reject you because I didn't want to be with you. I thought you could love two people. For a while I convinced myself that it was true. But it isn't. When Edward came back I tried to love him again, but it wasn't the same. The infatuation I had for him before was missing, but because of my guilt at not feeling like I thought I should, I carried on trying to. I had blinders on. You see it was never going to be the same with him again because I had experienced true love." The tears began to fall and Bella was done trying to prevent it. She gazed at Jacob with eyes dripping with moisture and a heart breaking smile on her face. "I didn't choose Edward because I loved him more. I chose him because I was terrified of hurting you again. You nearly died defending me. I couldn't live with that. I hated myself. I was scared, frightened, all of those things. That day I came to see you I was petrified. I didn't want to go even when I was telling you goodbye."

Jacob didn't say anything. There were no words which could verbalise what he was feeling right now. Instead he gathered up a sobbing Bella in his arms and with her ear pressed over his thundering heart he let his actions speak for him.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading! Thoughts please?**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

 **Part Eleven**

Jacob pulled the chair out for Bella. She looked at him pensively before sitting down. Unfortunately due to his nerves he pushed the chair back in too quickly and she nearly tumbled off in surprise. He felt his skin heat up which was abnormal for him. He noticed Bella's cheeks were flushed too. He cleared his throat before apologising profusely. He hadn't even taken his own seat before the waiter was at the table staring at him as if he had just crawled out from under a rock. Jacob frowned as he snatched the menus from the waiters limp hands. It was obvious the man thought he didn't belong there. Bella seemed too flustered to notice the waiter's imperious stare. She was fussing with the skirts of her dress. They were both dressed up to the nines and feeling out of their comfort zone. It had been Old Quil's idea that they go out on a date. "Wine and dine, Bella. Treat her like a lady. Neither of you have had the chance to just be young and enjoy yourselves. It might help settle her emotional state."

As if? If anything it had only made both their emotional states go into overdrive. Jacob regretted taking advice from the old man. Billy had appeared bemused when Jacob told him what the elder had suggested. "You and Bella in a posh restaurant?" He had said doubtfully. "Seriously?"

"I will leave you to choose." The waiter said in a nasally tone before flouncing off.

"What is his problem?" Jacob muttered darkly as he became alarmed at the prices as he studied the menu.

"Ignore him." Bella felt her limbs trembling. She was so nervous. She felt exposed in the flimsy dress. She had borrowed it from Kim, having none of her own with her. All her clothes were still in Florida in Renee's villa. Her anxiety threatened to overwhelm her and she nearly choked as she took a huge gulp of water out of her glass. Jacob didn't seem much better. He had shredded the complimentary rolls the restaurant provided and looked sickened as he read down the menu. "Are you okay?" She asked in concern.

"I'm fine." Jacob assured her through gritted teeth. He tugged at the sleeves of his white shirt and pulled at the collar. He felt confined in the dressy clothes. He hated wearing ties and was already loosening his.

"It's a bit pricey." Bella pointed out as she read the menu in horror.

"I have it covered." Jacob tried to hide his worry. He wasn't sure he had enough to even cover the starters.

The waiter was back. He looked haughtily at Jacob and raised one eyebrow. "Are you ready to place your order?"

Jacob's expression darkened at the man's tone. He was about to open his mouth to call him out on it but Bella beat him to it. A flicker of anger at the waiter's bad attitude had now sparked into a towering rage. How dare he look down on them? All her control left her and before she knew it she had risen to her feet and dumped the pitcher of water all over the waiter's head. There was a collective gasp from the other patrons as the waiter cried out in surprise. He was forced to wipe his dripping face with the napkins as he tried to stem the flow of water. "How dare you?" He snarled at Bella.

"No, how dare you?" Jacob practically growled into the man's face as he caught hold of Bella, she was shaking with anger. He knew they needed to make a quick exit before she exploded. This whole date thing had been a bad idea.

"I'll call the police." The waiter mumbled. He could see fire in Jacob's eyes. Jacob towered over him and he felt threatened. There was further kerfuffle as the manager appeared. His eyes were like plates as he stared at Jacob in fascination.

"Don't bother, we're leaving." Jacob retorted. He glanced around at the other customers. "I wouldn't eat your food if I was you. I just saw a rat running out of the kitchen." He couldn't help laughing as he watched their faces drain of colour. "Come on, Bells. Let's leave this dive." He grabbed her hand and steered her outside.

* * *

"That went well." Bella couldn't help the disappointment flood through her. For the last three days she had been meditating as much as she could. She really thought it had begun to make an impact. She had felt much lighter of heart after unburdening herself to Jacob. The outing had been a test to see whether all her hard work had paid off. But no, her emotions were still chaotic and she was unable to control them when she got really stressed.

"I'm sorry." Jacob apologised as he yanked his tie off and unbuttoned his shirt a little. He couldn't contain his relief to be back in the open air.

"Did Old Quil really bring his wife here for their sixtieth anniversary? The place is horrible." Bella glared at the posh awning of the restaurant.

"His wife passed away a long time ago. It was probably under different management then." Jacob ruffled his hair to loosen the gel in it. If he wasn't in the middle of a busy street he would have whipped off his shirt as well. He was so used to wandering around in cut off sweats that it felt odd being fully clothed.

"This is my fault." Bella said bitterly. "I let my anger get the better of me."

"I enjoyed seeing you dump the water over his head. He deserved it. I was about to do the same." Jacob smiled at the memory. He took Bella's hand and raised it to his lips. "You're getting better at controlling yourself. This was exceptional circumstances."

Bella couldn't help but return his smile. Even though she felt deeply disappointed with herself she couldn't help but be amused at the haughty waiter's face when she threw the water all over him. She felt a surge of uncontrollable laughter course through her, and before she knew it, she was doubled over, trying to catch her breath. She was gasping and choking as she tried to stem the tide. Jacob immediately scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to his car. They were beginning to attract curious stares from passers-by.

* * *

They ended up at a drive thru. Jacob ordered four burgers and fries for himself and one for Bella. They sat in the car with the windows wound down and ate their meal. Bella couldn't stop moaning at the taste, after spending months not being able to enjoy anything, even eating, now it was the opposite. The explosion of taste in her mouth was something she couldn't describe. She didn't notice Jacob gazing at her with an odd expression. She had no idea the effect her moans were having on him, and he wasn't about to confess to her why. He dropped sauce on his shirt and he casually whipped it off throwing it in the back seat. Bella's mouth dropped open as she stared at his bare chest. A weird feeling crept over her. She had seen Jacob shirtless practically every day since he turned wolf. He was a beautiful man, but with her heightened emotions it was mesmerising. Lust fogged her brain and she choked on her burger as she tried to distract herself.

* * *

They arrived back in La Push just as it turned midnight. The drive from Port Angeles had been made in relative silence. Both of them were doing their best to control their emotions, Bella especially. She couldn't stop staring at Jacob's profile. He was truly gorgeous, the epitome of a handsome prince. Her romantic feelings toward him had been enhanced tenfold now that she had confessed them to him. She sank lower and lower in her seat, anxious in case he could tell what she was thinking. She didn't realise the pheromones her body was giving out. Jacob didn't need to read her mind to understand what was going on in her brain. Her body's natural reaction to his nearness gave her away. The car was filled with Bella's scent and Jacob was having a hard time coping. He wound down the driver's window and breathed in the fresh air. But then Bella complained of the cold and he had to close it again. Her scent filled the car and he was forced to endure the sweet torture all the way back to La Push.

Jacob parked his car outside of his house and switched off the engine. The sudden silence was deafening. Bella glanced at Jacob, who glanced away. Then when she turned her head, he turned to look at her. This went on for a good sixty seconds. This wasn't like them. They had never been lost for words when together before, or nervous. But then this was supposed to be a date, even if it had gone pear shaped. Things were different now. Their cards had been put on the table. Jacob glanced at Bella again. She seemed to be having trouble unclipping her seatbelt. He leaned over and did it for her easily. He heard Bella's breath hitch in her throat. He turned his head to look at her and gasped as he saw her lips part as she stared at him with desire in her beautiful brown eyes.

Neither knew who grabbed the other first. But suddenly Bella was on Jacob's lap with her arms wrapped around his neck and his mouth fused to hers. They kissed wildly, passionately, as if they couldn't get enough. Bella's fingers sank into Jacob's hair as he cradled the back of her head. The car windows fogged up as they kissed furiously. This kiss was as desperate as the one on the mountaintop, even more so. Bella felt out of control. Jacob's tongue explored her mouth and she nearly fell apart. There were too many sensations going on at once. Their mouths parted briefly and she drew in air, before losing it again when he dragged his lips down her neck. Her nails dug into his hot skin, marking him without even realising. She felt him suck gently at the nape of her neck as he did the same.

A sharp rap on the window made them both jerk apart. Jacob growled, his eyes alight with unsated lust. Bella was hot all over. She tried to readjust her dress over her legs. Jacob wound down the window and glared at the intruder. Quil's grinning face came into view. Jacob could have punched him. "What?" He demanded.

"Billy sent me out here. He wondered what was taking you so long. I could hear you a mile away dude. The olds are inside. I thought I better stop you before it got too heated in here." Quil laughed when he saw Bella's face flush a dull red. "Hey, Bella." He greeted her in amusement. Jacob lunged through the window at him but Quil quickly retreated. "See you inside." He barked another laugh before disappearing back into the house.

"I am so sorry." Jacob mumbled as he glanced at Bella. She looked as mortified as he felt. "I don't know what happened." He groaned at how lame that sounded. "I mean I know what happened. I shouldn't have taken advantage."

Bella sighed softly and turned her head to look at him. Tears were welling in her eyes, not because she was upset, but as a result of her conflicting emotions. She breathed deeply and tried to smile. "I think I was the one who took advantage of you."

"No way." Jacob shook his head adamantly. "I grabbed you first."

"I think we grabbed each other." Bella confessed. Her skin flushed again and she cursed her inability to act cool.

"I don't think I would have stopped if Quil hadn't been a tool and interrupted." Jacob admitted ruefully.

"Neither would I." Bella's smile faltered. "All my emotions are on overdrive especially those."

"You're beautiful, Bella Swan." Jacob smiled at her fondly before leaning in and placing a chaste kiss on her lips. He loved seeing the lust forming in her eyes again even from that slight contact. Damn, he wished they didn't have to go inside. He quickly climbed out of the car to stop himself taking things further. He ran around to help Bella out of the passenger side.

"Thanks." Bella said nervously. She paused before walking toward the house. "Um…despite certain events I had a great time tonight."

"Me too, especially the end." Jacob couldn't help but tease her a little.

"You are such a dork." Bella hit him lightly on the arm.

"Touché." Jacob threw an arm across her shoulders and guided her toward the house. He couldn't stop the sunny smile forming on his lips. Just for a while it felt like they were Jake and Bells again, and he craved more of it.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

 **Part Twelve**

It was Paul who first noticed that the Cullen's were back in Forks. He was patrolling aimlessly near their former residence when the familiar sickly sweet scent of their cloying aroma assaulted his nostrils. He froze, his keen eyes peering through the thick foliage surrounding the mansion. He saw two expensive cars pull up in the driveway. The silver Volvo was driven by none other than Edward Cullen himself. Paul watched for a moment longer. Carlisle and his mate Esme were with him. They climbed out of the sleek black Mercedes and glanced right in Paul's direction. He knew it was time to retreat. He slipped away silently, heading directly to La Push to tell Jacob the news.

* * *

"I guessed it wouldn't be long before he followed Bella back here." Jacob said bitterly. He began to pace, feeling extremely agitated. Bella was still staying at the Ateara's under Old Quil's watchful gaze. She had made some headway, but was still struggling with her erratic emotions.

"What do you plan on doing?" Paul asked curiously. None of the pack had really spoken about the Cullen's and what would happen if they returned. Sam had begun to take a step back as Alpha now that Jacob seemed accepting of his heritage. He was still in charge but was passing more responsibility to Jacob daily.

"I don't know." Jacob sighed heavily as he continued to pace.

"You gonna tell Bella?"

"I'm not sure she can handle any more stress right now." Jacob was feeling very frustrated and angry. All he craved was some peace with the girl he loved, but with the leech still hovering around, refusing to give up on Bella, it was making a difficult situation even more complicated. "I've got to pick Rachel up from the airport. She's suddenly decided to grace us with her presence."

"Rachel?" Paul was surprised. Jacob's sister hadn't been back for a visit since leaving for college. He could tell that Jacob was dubious about why Rachel was suddenly so keen to come home.

"Yeah." Jacob ran his fingers through his hair restlessly.

"Why don't I pick her up? You go talk to Bella." Paul suddenly offered. It wasn't often that he went out of his way to help, but he had mellowed in his attitude toward Bella after witnessing her struggles for himself.

"You sure?" Jacob checked, both touched and surprised by Paul's suggestion.

"Yeah. I know your dad is still caught up with Charlie. I don't mind but I'll need to borrow your car." Paul held out his hands for the keys to Jacob's beloved classic VW.

"Go easy on the clutch." Jacob warned Paul. He chucked him the keys. "And don't tell Rachel anything. I need to warn dad that she's coming. He's under enough stress trying to keep Charlie from coming down here and dragging Bella back home."

"Your dad must have some persuasive powers to do that." Paul replied in amusement.

"It's not been easy. Bella is in no fit state for an emotional confrontation with Charlie right now. That's why I'm so pissed that the Cullen's are here to make things worse." Jacob breathed deeply as he tried to keep his wolf at bay. They may have fought together, and he was prevented from evicting them because of the damn treaty, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't like to chase the Cullen's out of the area and warn them to stay away for good. He still couldn't comprehend what had gone through his ancestors mind when he made the original treaty with them. Jacob wished that he could talk to Ephraim himself and demand to know what he had been thinking.

"I'll deal with Rachel; you go and smooth things over with Bella." Paul left the house with Jacob staring after him. It was like Lahote was a different person. Maybe he had grown up a bit, finally matured enough to control his erratic temper. They had all been forced to mature a bit lately. The newborn battle had thrown petty quarrels out the window. It also seemed Bella's condition had also gained the pack's sympathy. They had really gone above and beyond the call of duty in the way they had gathered protectively around him and Bella since the broken imprint.

Jacob went straight to the phone after Paul left and called Billy. His father sounded weary, but brightened up at the unexpected news of his daughter's arrival. Jacob hated having to deflate his father's mood again. He informed him that the Cullen's were back in town. Billy was immediately on the alert. He asked Jacob what he planned to do. Jacob was still getting used to others looking to him for answers. Being in charge was a huge responsibility. He empathised with Sam having to shoulder the burden for so long alone, as well as guilt that he had just left the older guy to it as he shirked his duties. Things were changing now. Jacob was getting tired of having to stick to the old rules of the treaty. He needed to do something about it. But for now he had other more urgent matters to attend to. He had to speak to Bella. He said goodbye to his dad and hurried out of the house.

* * *

Bella was ecstatic to see Jacob. She ran straight into his open arms. After their heated encounter in the car the day before, she had been suffering from acute embarrassment. Sharing the same house as young Quil didn't help. He took every opportunity to tease her until his grandfather slapped him down and ordered him to show some respect for their guest. Bella found it highly amusing to see such a big guy like Quil cower under the irritation of an old man. But she did see how much young Quil loved the elder. His own father had died when he was young in a tragic boating accident. Old Quil had taken on the job of rearing him along with Joy, Quil's mother.

"I didn't expect to see you today. I have been working on my emotions with Old Quil." Bella babbled away, not giving Jacob a chance to speak. She had been meditating with the elder again and though it had soothed her nerves, it had also heightened her emotional state to a point where she was on a high. Jacob had seen this overreaction countless times now. He just needed to let Bella's hyper state die down all on its own, telling her to calm down would only make things worse. "He's suggested I begin some sort of spiritual quest." She continued with a thoughtful look on her face. "He said it would give me insight into my emotional trauma. What do you think?"

"It sounds like a good idea." Jacob agreed tentatively. He took Bella's hand and led her outside the house. They walked side by side with Bella continuing to talk fast; sometimes she stumbled over her words in her haste to get her feelings across. Since unburdening herself to Jacob about how she truly felt about him, she no longer hid her fears and anxieties, or kept them locked away. Old Quil had advised her that keeping such burdens to herself had only ended up poisoning her soul. ' _Be open and honest_ ,' was his mantra. Bella was following it to the letter.

"I got angry with Quil." Bella rambled on. She was so caught up in her own head that she didn't pick up on Jacob's agitation. "He was teasing me about our rendezvous in the car. I was so embarrassed. I thought my face would have permanent burns I was blushing so much. I yelled at him to back off. But you know Quil. He kept on and on. I picked up a vase. Jake, I nearly threw it at him." Her expression turned ashamed. "Luckily Old Quil intervened. He told Quil off. I mean really told him off. Quil apologised and then Old Quil offered to meditate with me."

Jacob put his arm around Bella's shoulders and pulled her close. Quil could be such an ass at times. He mentally told himself to have a quiet word with his friend. Jacob had wanted Bella to stay at his house, but Old Quil had put a stop to that right away. The old man was right to. Jacob was lamenting his lack of control around Bella. She was in a fragile state emotionally. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself if she slept under the same roof as him. He didn't want to push her too hard, even if she was eager to reciprocate her romantic feelings toward him. "Quil should have known better." He assured her.

"Emily has invited us for dinner tonight." Bella revealed. She was beginning to calm down now and wasn't so excitable.

"That's great." Jacob halted and turned Bella to face him. She looked up at him, a smile playing about her lips as she waited for him to speak. Jacob hated bursting her bubble and ruining the mood, but he had no choice. He hated Cullen even more in that moment. "Bells, I need to tell you something."

"I love you too." Bella replied quickly. Her smile widened and she brushed his lips with her fingers. "You can say it now. You don't need to ask me if you can."

Jacob groaned internally. She had completely misunderstood what he was trying to convey. He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned down to kiss her. He let his mouth linger on hers for a few seconds, loathe to end the kiss, but he had to tell her. This was just delaying things. He pulled away and felt guilty when he saw disappointment flood Bella's brown eyes as he took a step back. "If it was up to me I would take you home and make love to you right now." He blurted out.

Bella's cheeks turned rosy. She was obviously not expecting this abrupt statement. "Oh…um…yeah." She appeared perplexed. "Um…are you alright?" It finally sank in that something was clearly bothering Jacob. She closed the gap between them and put her hands on his chest. Jacob trembled under her touch and he kissed her again, this time deepening the kiss, not caring that he was delaying things. His hormones took over and before he realised his hands were on Bella's ass, and her body was pressed tight to his, her fingers digging into his hair as she kissed him back hungrily

"Damn…." Jacob tore his mouth from hers, breathing heavily. Bella's lips were swollen from his ardent kisses and her eyes were glossy with suppressed desire. Jacob mentally lambasted himself for losing control again. Bella had an excuse. He didn't. But when he was around her he just couldn't stop himself. "Bells, honey, I need to tell you something." He tried again.

Bella put a hand over his mouth to quieten him. "I'm fine with it." She said breathily. Jacob nearly came undone at the sound of her sexy voice. His hands slid down her sides until they were resting on her hips. He drew her closer again. "I want this as much as you. Although I think I need to learn how to handle my….um…." Bella blushed, not knowing quite how to explain that she needed to learn to control the lust she felt for him.

"Damn." Jacob mumbled again as he rested his forehead against hers. He loved her so much. His heart was overflowing with it. He hated having to bring up the subject of Cullen. But he had to. "The leech is back." He finally choked out.

Bella felt like he had chucked a bucket of cold water all over her. She froze, her hands dropping to her sides as she stared at him. "Edward is here."

"Yes. I only just found out myself." Jacob hated it when Bella stepped back from him. Her joy had now turned to despair. He saw the guilt and worry etched on her face. "Bella…." He reached out for her and was hurt when she retreated from him. "Don't shut me out."

"I'm not." Bella refuted. She wrapped her arms around her middle in a gesture that Jacob hadn't seen for months. He hated it. He yanked her arms apart before gripping her shoulders and forcing her to look into his expressive dark eyes. "I can't cope." She admitted before dissolving into tears.

"You're letting him come between us." Jacob told her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Bella's tears wet his skin. He hated that she was crying because of Cullen. "Just let it go. Let your guilt about him go. He's ruining everything." He continued in frustration. "I hate him."

"It's not Edward's fault." Bella cried.

"Yes it is." Jacob was getting angry now. He held her tighter and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "It always was. Don't you dare defend him?"

"I'm not." Bella struggled out of his hold. They stood apart, an invisible wall between them.

"You are." Jacob persisted. He was in agony. They had been making progress, Bella had been smiling again, she was experiencing happiness, and now Cullen had sent her spiralling back down again. "Can't you see what effect he has on you? Blame him, Bella. It is his fault, all of it. His actions ruined all our lives. He's still ruining everything. That whole family is a fucking curse."

They were at a stalemate. Bella couldn't answer him. Depression and guilt were weighing her down. Her earlier high was now sinking into a low. She mentally fought it, hating the invisible barrier that seemed to be growing between her and Jacob. She shuddered, nearly capsizing under the weight of her emotional rollercoaster. Bella felt like there was a blockage in her brain. Like there was a steel door that she had to break through. It was an odd feeling and she couldn't put into words how it was affecting her. She continued to stare miserably at Jacob, alternately pleading for his understanding, and recoiling from his obvious hurt and anger.

"I'm losing you, aren't I?" Jacob whispered brokenly. He was in torment again. He couldn't believe they were right back where they started. He felt like he was on top of a cliff, about to dive down into the dark waters and drown. Something was stirring within, an electric current burned deep in his soul, igniting his heart, and setting his eyes ablaze. His wolf was howling in his head. It was signalling something primal, something Jacob couldn't understand. He raised his hands and his fingers sank into his hair, pulling at it as if he would tear it from his scalp. He felt like his head was splitting apart. His wolf howled louder. He was calling, calling, calling…..

Jacob spiralled into darkness and it was only a soft pair of hands that stopped him from the fall.

* * *

After all the agony, in the end it was so simple. Bella felt much calmer now. She sat beside Jacob, his head in her lap. His eyes were closed, but he was sleeping peacefully. He stirred under her gentle touch. "What happened?" He mumbled as his eyes fluttered open. Bella gazed down at him, her expression no longer tortured. She looked serene and so beautiful. It made Jacob's heart hurt. "What happened?" He asked again.

"I let you in." Bella whispered. She stroked his hair in a soothing fashion. "Can you feel it, Jacob? Can you?"

Jacob sat upright and knelt in front of her. The undercurrent of electricity was strong. He fancied he could see it sparking between them. "I can feel you." He said in awe.

"I can feel you." Bella replied with a sad smile.

"I love you." Jacob declared passionately.

"I love you." Bella echoed him.

"Bella…." Jacob began tentatively.

"The Cullen's have to go." Bella said quickly so he didn't have to. "You have to revoke the treaty or our children will suffer the same fate as us."

"Our children." Jacob murmured as he reached out to touch her smooth skin. He was in ecstasy as he felt the union of the renewed imprint surround them in a soft glow.

"I saw them, remember. When we kissed on the mountaintop." Bella put her hand over his and laced their fingers together.

"I remember." Jacob couldn't contain his happiness. He pulled Bella closer, his mouth seeking hers as he kissed her again, but this time it was not one of desperation, it was one of promise. The future was there, they just had to grab it. Edward Cullen's hold on Bella Swan was gone for good.

 _ **A/N-thank you for reading!**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Someday**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

 **Epilogue**

Bella had not seen Charlie since returning to La Push. She hadn't avoided him deliberately, but out of necessity as she tried to deal with her chaotic emotional state. Billy had borne the brunt of Charlie's unhappiness as he tried to dissuade his best friend from forcing the issue. Luckily Charlie had heeded Billy's advice and waited impatiently, and with increasing trepidation, for his daughter to initiate first contact. Bella now felt she was ready. After experiencing joy and ecstasy from the renewed imprint she felt reborn. The first thing she and Jacob did was inform the pack, Billy and Old Quil. Everyone had been surprised but happy upon learning this new revelation. The pack quickly organised a celebratory bonfire held on First beach to welcome Bella properly into the fold. The elders and Billy let the youngsters run wild. They deserved some fun, and it was also an opportunity to reintroduce Rachel to the pack too. Paul had picked her up from the airport just like he had promised Jacob, and a connection had been instantly formed between them.

Billy wasn't too happy at first upon learning of this sudden imprint between his daughter and the most volatile pack member, but upon seeing that Jacob was fine with it, he relaxed. Jacob assured his father that Paul had matured over the intervening months; they all had, in ways he couldn't explain. It was as if in finally accepting his heritage, and taking charge of the pack, things had slowly fallen into place. The pack was definitely more cohesive now he was in charge. Sam was now his beta. Jacob relied heavily on Sam's advice and input, but ultimately any final decisions were his alone. It was remarkable how relaxed Sam had become now he was no longer in charge. His renewed sense of self was reflected in his relationships with both Emily and Leah. It was as if he had finally forgiven himself. Leah had moved on too. To everyone's surprise she and Embry had started dating. They had managed to keep it quiet. With everyone's attention being focused so much on Jacob and Bella's fraught relationship they had slipped under the radar.

Bella went to see her father alone. Jacob had offered to come with her, but she refused. She didn't want anyone to witness their reunion. It was for them alone. She loved how Jacob didn't fight her on the issue. If it had been Edward he would have immediately tried to dissuade her from her chosen path, all under the cover of protecting her best interests. Jacob understood her need for privacy. They compromised. He drove her to Forks and waited in the car while she went into the Swan house alone. Charlie had been expecting her. For some odd reason he had dressed up for the occasion in formal clothes. Bella was stunned to see him dressed up. Charlie looked unusually nervous and emotional. She caught the glint of moisture in his eyes, even as he tried to hide it. In the past their conversations had always veered to the awkward side. Charlie struggled to show physical affection. Bella couldn't recall the last time he had hugged her. She planned on changing that. As soon as she headed inside she rushed straight over to her father and slipped her arms around his waist. Charlie stiffened slightly before suddenly clutching Bella tightly. She heard him mumble his apologies. As if he had anything to apologise for?

"Thank you for understanding my need for space." Bella interjected quickly before Charlie could continue placing the blame for her reluctance to see him on his shoulders.

"I wanted to storm down to La Push and drag you home." Charlie admitted. "It's Billy you need to thank for stopping me frogmarching you home."

"But you listened though and understood." Bella reminded him. They released their hold on each other and wandered into the kitchen. Charlie was feeling pensive and out of his comfort zone. Showing too much emotion was weighing heavily on him. It was not his way. To distract them both Bella quickly made some tea, and they both sat opposite each other and spoke more formally.

"Is it sorted now?" Charlie dared to ask. "Are you okay to come home now?"

"Yes." Bella smiled wearily as she reached for Charlie's hand. "I'm ready to come home."

Charlie squeezed her hand and smiled.

* * *

The situation with the Cullen's had to be addressed. While Bella spent time with Emily and Kim, along with Rachel, who she was trying to get to know better, Jacob and the pack attended a tense meeting with the elders. Jacob was adamant that he wanted the treaty nullified. Besides Old Quil, the other elders were shocked that the young Alpha wanted to revoke a treaty made by his own famous ancestor, Ephraim Black. They barely listened to his arguments at first, so blinded were they by tradition and the past. But eventually with Old Quil and Billy in his corner supporting his edict, Jacob was able to persuade them to ponder on his idea. He reminded them of the trouble that the Cullen's close proximity to La Push had caused. They attracted other cold ones to the area because of their presence. When they had left previously, the number of other vampires trekking through Washington State had reduced substantially. Like attracted like. As Bella had so clearly stated he didn't want his own children or future generations pulled into a war of the supernatural that was none of their making.

"It was their selfish decision to settle in this area that caused all this chaos. Vampires are nomadic for a reason. For them to be otherwise only fuelled the trouble that my pack was forced to clean up. I refuse to risk the lives of any of my brothers anymore just because we're too afraid to revoke a treaty that should never have been made in the first place. I don't want to talk out of turn, but Ephraim made the wrong decision negotiating with the Cullen's. He should have driven them away. If he had then none of the recent events wouldn't have happened. The innocents who lost their lives because the Cullen's refused to go would still be alive today." Jacob ended his speech with a haughty glare as he looked each individual elder in the eye. "Think about what I have said. I will be back in one hour to hear your decision." He abruptly left the tribal hall with his brothers marching behind him.

Billy had never been so proud of his son as he watched him leave. In the end it took the council less than thirty minutes to reach a decision. It was voted by an overwhelming majority that the treaty be considered null and void. As of now the Cullen's were unwelcome and had to leave. Jacob didn't waste time celebrating this small victory. The hardest part was still to come. He had to face the Cullen's.

* * *

"He will leave if I am the one to tell him to go." Bella told Jacob as soon as he and the others came back to tell their loved ones the outcome of the meeting. She was surrounded by the other imprints. Jacob already found it fascinating how in control she already was. Emily and Kim were already acceding to her influence. Even his feisty sister Rachel was nodding her head in agreement.

"I'm not going to be able to talk you into staying away, am I?" Jacob smiled wryly as he pulled Bella into a gentle hug and rested his chin on her soft hair. She nestled against him and pressed her ear over his strongly beating heart and shook her head.

"She won't be alone." Rachel suddenly announced with a fierce glint in her eye. For someone who had been inadvertently thrust into the thick of things she had certainly taken everything in her stride. Jacob had been worried his sister would kick off once she learned about her imprint with Paul Lahote, and thus the wolf pack. Rachel had surprised them all. She had come home because she had suddenly felt compelled to do so. College had not been the escape she wanted and she had begun to rue ever leaving the bosom of her family. Unlike Rebecca, she was a homebody. Rachel had left because she felt she had to follow in her twin's footsteps. But a life without Rebecca had opened her eyes and made her begin to stand on her own two feet. Rebecca had wasted no time settling down with a surfer she met in Hawaii. Rachel certainly didn't need telling twice that she had found her match in Paul, despite the unusual way they had come together.

"Yes, we are all coming." Emily raised her eyes defiantly to Sam when he opened his mouth to protest. He immediately closed it and smiled at his imprint affectionately. Emily's expression softened and she motioned to a silent Kim beside her. "We're all sisters." She ended simply.

"This will be interesting." Jared mused as he went to join his imprint. Kim smiled shyly at him and took his hand.

"Can we just get this over with?" Quil was feeling left out. Embry had Leah. Jacob had Bella. Sam had Emily. Jared had Kim. Seth was too young yet for it to bother him that he was still single, but Quil did.

"No time like the present." Jacob conceded. He cradled Bella's face between his hands and gazed into her eyes. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Bella said firmly as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

* * *

The Cullen's were waiting for them. At least three of them were. Carlisle, Esme and a defiant Edward stood on the marble steps leading up to the huge mansion as the pack congregated in the drive outside. As soon as Edward saw Bella his defiance crumbled. He was able to read Jacob's mind easily and the serenity that made Bella's eyes glow confirmed for him that he had lost her. The imprint that had been fractured was back in place. Bella had let Jacob Black in. She had lowered her shield. Edward had always been fully aware of Bella's gift. It was brought to the fore when she had been in Italy. None of the Volturi's powers worked on her. Edward had no idea of why at the time, but Carlisle had easily worked it out upon their return from Volterra. Edward had never told Bella. He thought it irrelevant. It wasn't now.

Edward's presence had no effect on Bella's whatsoever. He was as handsome as ever. His beauty outshone the sun. All the Cullen's did. But she knew it was a façade. It was obvious why Alice hadn't bothered accompanying Edward back to Forks. Bella guessed that she already knew the outcome. Alice had probably not been able to see her for some time and had become accepting. It was only Edward who refused to let go. It was clear by the expressions on Carlisle and Esme's faces that they had only come back to comfort Edward and console him when he finally accepted the truth. It was heart breaking watching his face crumble. Bella stepped forward, the pack parting for her like the red sea. "I wish you well." She said softly. She met Carlisle's steady gaze and Esme's sympathetic one. "But you need to go and never come back."

"We guessed it would end this way." Carlisle replied sadly. He put a hand on Edward's shoulder and drew his adopted son closer. "He needed to see for himself. I would have wished it another way, but…" He sighed regretfully.

"Bella." Edward whispered brokenly as he gazed at her in despair.

Bella looked back at him steadily. She didn't flinch, or allow guilt to consume her as she would have in the past. Jacob was near; he was lending her his strength without her even realising it. "I wish you well, Edward." She said softy. "I wish you love and happiness. I am certain you will find it one day. Just not here."

"Bella…" Edward cried out again. Esme drew him into an affectionate embrace and he hid his face in her shoulder.

"Goodbye, Bella Swan." Esme gave her a sweet smile full of sadness. "May your days be filled with sunshine and happiness?"

Bella felt tears brim in her eyes. She was lost for words. She murmured her goodbyes and stepped back within the circle of the pack. They closed around her, shielding her from view. Jacob approached Carlisle and the two of them walked off to one side, talking in low voices. Bella and the other girls couldn't hear the conversation, but the pack did. Carlisle was agreeing to never return to the area. He lamented the harm his family's presence had caused and apologised profusely.

In the end it was as simple as that. There was no grand gestures, no heated displays. The Cullen's left quietly and with grace. Edward was distraught but would heal in time. Bella was his first love, but she wouldn't be his last. There was another waiting for him. She had waited patiently for decades. Carlisle made sure to head straight to the Denali's where Tanya would offer Edward her own brand of comfort.

* * *

 _ **Five years later;**_

The sun burned in Bella's eyes. She sighed, lazily rolling onto her side as she gazed affectionately at her husband. She could look at Jacob's handsome face forever. He was so beautiful. She studied his profile, letting her eyes linger on his straight nose, his full lips and then slowly wander down his naked body. Wow, just staring at him sent pleasurable tingles through her body. She saw his eyes flutter open and a sunny smile lit up his face. Bella laughed as he reached out and hauled her on top of him. She straddled his body, positioning herself comfortably, as she gazed down at him with desire burning in her eyes. This was her favourite time of day. The sun was only just up, the twins were still asleep in bed, and she had this gorgeous man all to herself. It was time to play. With his hands resting on her hips Jacob slipped easily inside. The familiar burn blazed between them heralding the dawn of another day.

 _ **Fin….**_

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading and to Sarahmicaela88 who reminded me this was a T rated fic, LOL ;)**_


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